Chapter 6 – New Wonders and Adversaries

The sun is just about to set. The few battles taking place throughout the island are just about to begin. On a rather small island lacking even grass, one part of a small archipelago, Krillen throws rocks into the water waiting for Trunks to recover.

Krillen (thinking aloud): This is taking too long. I wonder what Yamcha meant when he said "It's the only way we can get him to wake up right now".

There is an explosion coming from the Solstice. Krillen abruptly rises to his feet shocked and turns around to see.

Krillen: What's going on in there?

He tries to wait for something else to happen. About the same time, Trunks beings to regain consciousness; groans start to come from him. Krillen hears this and turns back.

Krillen (gladly): Hey! You're up!

Trunks holds his head and begins to slowly sit up. He sees the sun setting to his left and stares longingly into it, knowing something unpreventable will happen. Krillen looks at Trunks puzzled, then at the sunset, then back at Trunks.

Krillen: What? Something's wrong?

Trunks turns back around – unmindful of Krillen's being there – closes his eyes and tilts his head back. Wind starts to pick up. Trunks' ki starts to get harder and harder for Krillen to sense.

Krillen (to himself): What the--! I know Trunks is right there, but why can't I sense him?!

A river of white rushes from Trunks' back; the boulder smashes into pieces behind him. Feathers start to dance among the breeze. The stream starts to divide in half, parting in opposite directions and taking on a shape, a very specific shape of feathered wings. The energy dies down, the wind and ocean calm. Trunks looks up and – seeing a stunned and confused Krillen holding his mouth agape – panics.

Trunks: Krillen! I- I- I…! Th- these—aren't…! I mean—they are but…

The troubled warrior stops himself and sighs harshly in exasperation, trying to collect all of his thoughts, trying to find out how to explain. Krillen, approaching uneasily, tries to calm his friend down.

Krillen: Umm…Trunks…calm down…it's okay… (to himself) What am I doing?! I must've lost it! This is crazy! How can someone just have wings like that? (to Trunks) Heck, I should be more scared of you than you are of me right now.

Trunks: I know. It's just that…no one's supposed to know about them. I tried to keep them a secret. (finally calms down) Guess it's no use trying to hide them now.

Krillen: Okay, I just want to ask one thing. How?

Trunks hesitates answering this question. Something intense, something hidden inside him that only he knows about, prolongs his response longer. After several uneasily silent moments, Trunks replies to Krillen's simple, yet challenging question.

Trunks: To tell you the honest-to-God truth, I can't remember. I mean, I remember not having them for one minute and having them the next. It's like they were with me without being there. I don't know, it's hard to explain. Could you do something—no.

Krillen: Hey, come on. I'm your friend. You could ask me anything.

Trunks: Please. I want you to tell the others about these. It's hard enough for me to explain to one person, let alone everyone else.

Krillen: If it means that much to you, sure.

Trunks: Thanks a lot. Okay, we can go now.

Krillen: Should you put those away first?

Trunks: There's no point. They'll come out in another hour.

Krillen (confounded): Why would they? I mean, can't you control them?

Trunks: It's one of those things I can't explain. I can control them most of the time, but if I look directly at a sunset, they become harder to manage. We should get going.

Elsewhere

COMPUTERIZED VOICE: You are now in the Desert Sector of the Solstice.

Goku: Desert sector?

Yamcha: Goku!

Goku: Yamcha? Is there anyone else here?

Yamcha: I don't think so. But…where are we?

Goku: Good question. I don't see the Solstice anywhere. Are they trying to mess with our heads?

VOICE: Who's be tryin' ta mess with yer heads?

A large figure rises from the ground.

Elsewhere

Vegeta: Damn! How did we get back here?!

COMPUTERIZED VOICE: You are now in the Jungle Sector of the Solstice.

Tien: Why do you think we were brought here? And where's everyone else?

Piccolo: They're in another sector.

Vegeta: What do you mean?! We all were warped at the same time!

Piccolo: Where else do you think they are?

A small, distorted figure drops from the sky.

Elsewhere

Krillen and Trunks journey to the Solstice. Trunks, despite his exfoliated wings, flies without using them at a pace in which Krillen can keep up. They come in range to observe explosions in the Solstice.

Krillen (concerned): What's going on in there?

Trunks (looks at the Solstice, then above past the building and sees the "moon"): Krillen, what's that white circular object? I know it can't be an attack.

Krillen looks up to see what Trunks is referring. He begins to panic and accidentally flies into his friend. In the midst of the chaos, Krillen attempts to cover Trunks' eyes and actually succeeds. The two stop flying. Trunks is a little agitated and confused as to what Krillen just did.

Trunks: Krillen, what are you doing?

Krillen: Don't look at the moon!

Trunks: Moon?

Krillen (still covering Trunks' eyes): Oh yeah. The moon was never there in your time because Piccolo blew it up before you were born. Well, you see, the moon causes all Saiyans to transform into these huge apelike monsters called Ozarues.

They are extremely powerful and if you haven't any experience being one, then you would go on a frantic rampage, destroying everything in your path. Goku and Gohan have each transformed into Ozarues at least once and almost killed us all.

Trunks: And my father?

Krillen: Vegeta was the worst. In our first battle, he transformed and almost eliminated us and the planet. The worst part is that he knew exactly what he was doing; probably because he used to train transformed like that.

Trunks: But Krillen, won't we have at least seen them transformed by now? We aren't too far from the place.

Krillen (observes the Solstice and surrounding areas): Yeah, you're right. If that is the moon, then all three of them, and probably you too, should've transformed by now.

Trunks: Maybe it's some kind of simulation.

Krillen: Yeah, that might be it.

Trunks: Krillen, could you do something for me?

Krillen: Sure,

Trunks: What?

Trunks: Could you get off of my head?!

Krillen: Oops, sorry.

Krillen gets off of Trunks and both continue toward the Solstice.

Elsewhere

Vegeta: Tres! Come out and face me!

Tres' voice echoes.

Tres: Now why would I want to do that? It's more fun this way.

Vegeta: Shit! Then I'll just blast you out dammit!

Vegeta begins to fire a series of ki blasts, only to destroy vegetation in the area. He then spies Tien, from the corner of his eye, firing an attack. The Prince jumps out of the attack's way.

Vegeta: Hey! I'm on your side, remember?!

Tien stands still. Another person comes from behind Vegeta, yelling. He turns around and sees another Tien.

Tien: That's not me! It's Tres!

The Tien standing begins to lose his shape and reshapes into Piccolo. Before Vegeta says anything, the real Piccolo says something.

Piccolo: It seems our little friend can change his appearance to any one of us. We must be careful.

Tres changes his appearance again, this time resembling the Super Saiyan Prince. He jumps into the air and focuses on his victims.

Tres: Big Bang…ATTACK!!

Elsewhere

While nearing the Solstice, sounds of explosions become increasingly louder. The many battles taking place located in various parts of the Solstice start to intensify. Krillen and Trunks finally arrive at the complex still airborne.

Trunks: There should be some sort of an entrance nearby.

The two split up. While gliding by a window, something invisible grabs Trunks by the neck and locks him in a death hold.

Trunks (grabbing for his neck): Ahh! Something's … got me…!

Krillen: Trunks! I'm coming!

Trunks: No! Stay there!

Without any consent from their bearer, the wings beat hard once, making an atypically doleful sound. By doing so, Trunks is freed from the now visible object, projected forward a bit due to the force and speed of his wings. He reaches for the claw, rips it off his neck, and turns to a stunned Krillen.

Trunks: I was trying to warn you. They could have killed you if you were too close.

Krillen (still shocked): …oh…okay…thanks…

Two more invisible robotic claws grab Trunks; one locks onto his neck again, another locks around his left wing. Without giving him much time to react, the claws jerk him up into an entrance. His free wing flaps, thrusting Krillen to the ground and on a warp place. Krillen disappears and reappears in another sector.

COMPUTERIZED VOICE: You are now in the Tundra Sector of the Solstice.

Krillen: Where--?

Gohan: Krillen! I need some help here!!

Krillen: How--?

Gohan: Krillen! I could really use some help right now!!

Krillen (snaps back into reality): Coming, Gohan!