Ch 9 - Prepare for More
~~~ An Outside View ~~~
Soooo… Android 16… What's going on with him? Well, number 16 isn't quite 100% 'Kill Son Goku! Kill Son Goku!' as we'd think. In the original, 16 actually enjoyed spending time with 17 and 18 on their journey to find Goku. He did not complain about taking a car instead of flying as 18 did. He would even play along when 17 got pulled over by cops. Things that seem passive and off-topic for someone that should be a one-track mind set on the destruction of Goku.
16 is a work-in-process android. Dr. Gero didn't want 17 and 18 to activate him for unknown reasons other than being incomplete and dangerous. In canon, 16 never showed an overly aggressive side to him so we can only assume Gero meant that his power was just too overwhelming to be controlled as a danger rather than being a monster of sorts. Android 16 is his own (artificially made) person, and isn't fully ruled by programming similar to 17 and 18.
In some sneaked rumors, 16 is programmed based on Dr. Gero's son. This isn't exactly canon, but let's just say that 16's personality was based on a human in the Red Ribbon Army or subsequent relation. It means that even though 16 is 100% robotic, he can feel emotion and attachment. We see this in the original timeline as he protects 18 from Cell to his own sacrifice. He states that he enjoyed being with the androids as they were fun. 16 holds some sort of bond with the twins from the very start, otherwise he would have just located Goku's ki and went directly for the man in the original. Although 16 would have the impulsive desire to destroy Goku as soon as he sees the saiyan, 17's insistence in taking turns to make the fight more interesting could potentially pacify 16's innate desire. 16 would want to have fun and would not wish to spoil his fellow androids' wishes. As long as he can get his own desires fulfilled, he can be patient.
Now, as soon as Goku makes a move to join the fight, 16 takes over. 16 is slightly more powerful than Goku, so the fight would be pretty even. Perhaps about as even as 17 against Piccolo in the original. [Sorry there isn't super detailed fight scenes for this. The last chapter was already way too long as it was!] We can only assume that as Goku grows weary and 16's infinite energy would show his superiority. 16 would eventually win the battle.
But 17 and 18 escaped… 16 is attached to them in some way and would want to assure their safety above his own. Plus, their existence would help him complete his goal. Leaving the battle at the time would be unwise as 16 was already getting Goku tired, and leaving could mean that Goku would have time to recover and grow stronger. However, the risk of King Vegeta being far stronger than anything they could imagine is an even greater risk. It is the smartest thing for the androids to retreat and corner Goku alone while King Vegeta is away from the situation. 16 can sense life energy, so would be able to recognize when Goku is alone. That is their new strategy.
~~~ Returned View ~~~
As the dust settled from the blast, the older saiyan looked down at his son's counterpart. The boy lost his super transformation and his violet hair splayed out in the dirt. Tears from the pain leaked from the boy's eyes, but he wasn't suffering while unconscious. The older man kneeled down to inspect the damage. He was never a healer, but he knew his fair share of injuries to know what was wrong. Trunks' leg was splintered, but it wasn't anything a few senzu couldn't fix. After all, Vegeta's own arms were splintered from this very battle and a few senzu fixed him just fine.
The older Vegeta looked up to witness the interaction of the androids and Krillin. 18 seemed to have come on to Krillin. What on Earth did that android ever see in that bald shorty anyway? For the life of him, Vegeta could not understand women. If she was to walk the same path, then that left hope for this timeline.
When 16 left with the other two androids, Goku descended to the ground. He released his super transformation and steadied his breath. He honestly wasn't sure he would have been able to win that fight. If King Vegeta didn't step in, Goku didn't know what would have happened… He didn't even want to consider it.
Krillin joined Goku on the battlefield and counted the senzu beans in his pouch. 7 beans to split between everyone. The short man scanned the area to count his friends and survey their conditions. He instructed Goku to start waking everyone up and the saiyan did as told.
"King Vegeta! Catch!" Krillin called as he threw two senzu in the older saiyan's direction.
The man easily snatched the beans out of the air and turned Trunks over. The boy flinched as Future Vegeta pried his mouth open and fed him the beans. Taking extra care of the teen, Trunks slowly came to with a confused look on his face. Relief flooded the old man as he noted Trunks' leg straightened and healed completely thanks to the beans' effect. His Trunks was in far more precarious situations, but as an adult. This teen was more fragile in his mind. After all, this Trunks died to a chest wound where his Trunks survived twice.
"How's your leg, boy?" the man commanded.
Obediently, Trunks looked down to his leg and bent his knee to test it. He answered dutifully, "Fine… Sorry I failed you."
Satisfied, Future Vegeta got off the ground and lent a hand for the boy to use to get up too. Taking it, Trunks got to his feet and awkwardly took a step back. He wasn't entirely comfortable with his father. He just didn't know the man enough outside of stories from his mother. She's said many things, but this Vegeta was nothing like he'd imagined. He didn't know how to talk to him.
"Better a leg than a chest, brat. Trust me," the man snorted and the boy nodded. It didn't seem that this man from the future was disappointed with the outcome. Could it be that this battle was supposed to end this way?
Goku and Krillin were able to wake most of the group. Tien was a bit worse for wear and needed a senzu to be woken from his state. Gohan and Piccolo were both conscious but bruised. Krillin split a senzu between the two of them as they didn't need as much assistance. However, what was concerning was the state Vegeta was in…
Against his better judgment, Krillin gave in and fed the unconscious Vegeta the last three senzu beans. Two for his arms and one for his pride. Krillin snorted to himself. Yeah, right. No senzu bean was strong enough to mend that man's over inflated ego.
"How is he?" Trunks asked, motioning his head in Vegeta's direction.
"He'll be fine," Future Vegeta assured. And sure enough, Vegeta stirred as his arms fixed back into place from the magical vegetable. "Did you break your sword?"
Confused, Trunks unsheathed his weapon to reveal the blade fully intact, "No, why?"
Not overly interested, Future Vegeta accused, "Wouldn't want you to cry over a broken toy."
"I'm not a child," Trunks snapped, offended. His future father clearly thought he was immature, and Trunks would prove him wrong!
"Sure you're not. You're still a teenager," the man retorted and crossed his arms. Future Trunks is only a year older than his timeline's son's youngest child. He was used to their immature behavior, and it didn't help how similar Shorts resembled his father in his youth. It was strange for Vegeta as he treated his own son the way he would his grandchildren.
Krillin explained what had occurred for those who were unconscious, leaving out certain extremities. The dwarf man didn't feel right stating just how strong King Vegeta was to the younger version of Vegeta right there to hear it. That could only lead to trouble. Krillin is very aware of Vegeta's pride and that man would no doubt challenge King Vegeta to a fight should he know what had actually happened.
As Krillin concluded, Piccolo scorned, "What?! You mean they even knew about the senzu beans?!"
Tien exclaimed, "I don't get it! They know everything about us! Why didn't they just finish us off? Those two could have squashed all of us like flies! They were just playing a game?! Man, this is Vegeta's fault!"
"Hey, don't blame him. We all underestimated their strength, which was a mistake! But we can't afford to make any more! The androids may not be so forgiving next time," Piccolo defended. After all, if Future Vegeta was so relaxed about this loss, then they were supposed to grow stronger to face this threat.
Grunting, Vegeta angrily blasted off into the sky. Krillin and Gohan called out, but the man ignored them as he disappeared into the clouds. He was furious. He was bested by an android for his own arrogance. How dare he need saving by some saiyan imposter scum?!
Trunks powered up with the plan of following his present father, but Piccolo called him back, "Trunks! Let him go! Stop! Leave him alone." Confused, Trunks looked back to the alien man who explained, "Ever since Vegeta became a super saiyan, his ego has been out of control. Honestly, I think what that android hurt the most today was his pride. He is very ashamed of his defeat."
Tien sighed, "I know how he feels…"
To that, Future Vegeta sneered, "You know nothing of the sort."
"What was that?!" Tien dared, clenching his fists and tensing as if for a fight with the man.
"That saiyan just lost a battle, but not because he wasn't strong enough. He lost because he let the android create a weakness and then use that weakness against him. All a saiyan has is pride, and his is currently shattered. No one's pride could rival one of a saiyan."
"You mean…" Yamcha started and Tien finished, "Vegeta could have won if he wasn't so egotistical…"
The man didn't respond, but he didn't need to. The information settled sourly for the Z Fighters. Krillin bravely looked to the oldest saiyan, now that Vegeta was gone, and stated, "You could have taken them on, King Vegeta. But you let them go."
Piccolo gasped, "He what?!"
King Vegeta defended, "You must have seen wrong, Baldy. I did nothing of the sort."
"I saw it too," Goku pushed. He was the only other witness, and he was more than impressed with the display King Vegeta had shown minutes ago. He knew the man was holding back against him while training, but Goku didn't realize just how much that actually was. "You protected Trunks, and then let them go because they were scared."
A nasty frown took the older saiyan's face. If they were onto him, then what would happen? What could he do to move things forward from here? He growled and redirected, "Listen, I am the outsider to all of this. If you want to be strong enough to handle this on your own, then you better step up because the androids aren't the strongest things out there!"
Terrified with this news, Trunks begged it to not be true, "What are you saying?!"
"I'm saying I can sense a coming threat. It's small right now, but it's growing quickly. If it keeps growing at this rate, it'll overtake everyone here combined, even myself, so you better get ready for it," the old saiyan bluffed.
Piccolo gasped, "That's why you're here?!"
Trunks' face contorted as it sunk in, "How could that be?! These androids are much stronger than my time, and now you're saying there's even more to come?!"
The older man of the future confirmed, "That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Oh man, we're screwed!" Yamcha freaked.
"So then… What do we do, King Vegeta?" Goku asked. It seemed King Vegeta knew about this coming threat. Maybe he had a plan?
To Goku's disappointment, the older saiyan denied, "I'm not going to solve your problems for you, Kakarot. Think of something for yourself."
Unhappy with Future Vegeta's response, Piccolo grumbled, "It's obvious that we're going to need all the help we can get to defeat these foes…"
Gohan looked expectantly to his master, "Does this mean you have a plan, Piccolo?"
"Listen to me…" Piccolo began before his features tensed. He was putting off this particular strategy for as long as he could, but this threat sounded far too dangerous to go without. "To hell with it! It's none of your concern! This is something that I have to do alone!" Using a blast to the ground that propelled him upwards, he raised into the air above the group. To say he was frustrated was an understatement, but it had to be done. "I'm leaving and if anyone tries to follow me, they'll be sorry! Even you, Gohan! Just worry about yourselves and forget about me!"
With that, the namekian shot off into the clouds just as Vegeta had done before him. Yamcha questioned, "What's with him? Did I miss something?"
Tien agreed, "I haven't seen Piccolo act like that since back in the old days when he was trying to destroy Goku and take over the world."
"Well that doesn't make sense. I thought Piccolo was fighting on our side now," Yamcha contemplated with a hand on his chin.
"He is. I know he is," Gohan faithfully believed. He more than anyone would know this.
Realizing what was going on instantly, Krillin assured, "Don't worry, guys. Piccolo just has a lot on his mind."
Coming to the same conclusion, Goku asked, "He's going straight for it, isn't he Krillin?"
The short man confirmed, "Looks like it. This is one fight we cannot afford to lose. If we really want to defeat what's coming next, it's going to take everything that we've got. Piccolo is just doing everything he thinks he has to do, to win. Don't worry, he'll be okay."
Tien and Yamcha looked at each other, both in similar confusion, as Gohan exclaimed, "Oh! He's flying towards the lookout, isn't he?!"
Goku nodded and explained, "That's right. Piccolo and Kami are one in the same. Piccolo was once the negative energy that was in Kami until they split in two. If they fuse back together, they'll be super strong! Master Roshi once said that if Piccolo and Kami came back together then he'd be the strongest being in the universe!"
"So he'd be what? Like a super namekian?" Yamcha questioned.
"A super namek, hua? Well, we can certainly use that," Tien considered.
"Is Piccolo really going to fuse with Kami, Dad?!" the youngest saiyan of the group asked nervously. After all, what would happen to the Piccolo he knew once this fusion occurred? The boy was excited for this transformation, but he wasn't sure if his friend in Piccolo would also be replaced.
The kid's father confirmed, "It's the fastest way for Piccolo to get way stronger."
But there was something else about this fusion that was concerning the Z Fighters. Yamcha spoke, "Wait a minute you guys. If Piccolo and Kami fuse, wouldn't that mean the dragon balls would disappear too?"
"Yeah, that may be true, but it's no better if Piccolo is destroyed by the androids or whatever's coming next. In either case, the dragon balls will disappear. Think about it, there's no other way. We're getting desperate, and he figures this is the only way for us to get out of this mess," Krillin answered.
"But…" Trunks paused, looking expectantly towards his future father. "Will it be enough?"
"No, but there is no other way to get strong enough without the Namek fusing. He knows what he's doing," Older Vegeta responded honestly. Even with the power the Namek had gained from Vegeta's interference with Kakarot, his power would still be palpable compared to Perfect Cell. He might have lasted in a fight, but not if this new Cell had a power boost like the androids did. If the older saiyan had to guess, the new power of the androids could make Cell close to the strength of a super saiyan 3… Considering none of the present warriors were close to super saiyan 2, that was a very concerning thought.
The rest of the group remained silent at the news. Even if Piccolo fused it wouldn't be enough? What kind of villain were they up against? If Future Vegeta wasn't going to interfere, as he hadn't so far, then how could they get even a fraction strong enough to take on this new threat? Every single Z Fighter felt the pressure of the situation before them.
But there was another fighter that might rise to the challenge as Trunks slowly nodded and suggested, "And… What about my father? I mean, Vegeta. We can't forget about him."
Redirecting from the tension, Krillin corrected Trunks, "There's no reason for you to hide it anymore, Trunks. We all know about Bulma and Vegeta and the fact that they had a baby; and that baby is you. You're their son, right?" The boy's mouth hung as he didn't know what to say to being called out. Krillin jokingly stated afterwards, "I guess Vegeta's the only one who doesn't know!"
To this the older snorted, "He knows," getting the group's full attention. "What are the odds that the kid's name is the same as his son; the kid came from the future, and is a super saiyan?"
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Kakarot pouted, "I don't know if I would've figured it out if he didn't tell me."
The older saiyan chuckled, "Because you're as bright as a dead lightbulb, Kakarot."
"You're from the future too, right, King Vegeta?" Krillin boldly stated. The group of warriors who hadn't figured such a thing gasped audibly. The short man explained himself, "How else could you know about this new threat and how strong everyone is? Plus, you were quite concerned for Trunks earlier."
Kakarot wanted clearity and exclaimed, "Is it true?! Are you really from the future, King Vegeta?!"
The man redirected with a growl, "Stop calling me that, Kakarot! I'm no King to you!"
"But you are Vegeta?" Gohan squeaked. He was always very cautious around Vegeta and this man obviously had a similar temper around his father. As the seconds passed like hours, everything about this mysterious man from space was sinking into place. He looked, spoke, and acted very similarly. He knew things he shouldn't. Heck, this man knew everyone without ever asking their names while hiding his own!
"Tch," the man now dubbed as Future Vegeta frustratedly slashed his tail from his waist. "I'm not here for what you think I am. I don't even know why I bothered, but let's get one thing straight. You are to get as strong as you can for this fight. If you don't, it won't be as satisfying for me when I surpass you."
Of course the old saiyan wasn't intending such a show-down. He wasn't as brash as he was in his youth. But such a statement could motivate these stubborn Earthlings to push themselves further beyond their limits for this fight. He wanted a fight, but he didn't want to take that away from them either. This was their time. If everything after this was stronger than ever, he needed to be sure they would be ready for it. He wasn't going to be there for them forever…
"Yeah, that's definitely Vegeta alright," Tien concluded. This Vegeta's voice raised with the same ferocity their Vegeta's voice would have with such a statement. It would only be someone so arrogant to state something as cocky as that. Of course Vegeta would want to prove himself superior over everyone else! Tien continued, "But speaking of, I'm sure Vegeta will be back once he cools off a bit. When he does, I'm sure he'll be stronger than he ever was. As much as I'd hate to admit, but this guy's right. You should all train together to get as strong as you can. This is our time, so we should be the ones to set it right."
The gang nodded with the suggestion and took to the sky. There was a lot of information they had to digest. A lot of loose ends, too…
"Trunks, tell me something," Krillin began, getting the younger saiyan's attention. "That medicine you gave to Goku… Are you sure it was for him? I mean, he hasn't caught it yet. Have you Goku?"
Said saiyan replied, "No. Chichi keeps it in the medicine cabinet at home just in case, but I've not felt sick at all so far. You think I could be over it?"
Trunks answered, "It was meant for Goku alright, but I don't understand. My meddling in time must have changed something. Maybe he didn't catch it this time?"
"No, he should have," the future Vegeta corrected. "Kakarot should have come down with the virus while fighting with Android 19. It's my meddling that changed it, but I'm sure Kakarot is still infected. It just hasn't come into effect yet. We can't be certain that Kakarot will remain in this fight against the androids going forwards…"
"What if I just took the antidote now?" Goku suggested.
"No, that wouldn't work. You need to be showing symptoms for the antidote to be able to wipe it out of your system fully. Otherwise, you'd just be delaying the inevitable," Trunks explained.
Yes, this was a very bad development. If Kakarot was to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, what would happen if he'd come down with the illness while in such a place? Would he be sentenced to death, and this time not be able to be wished back because of it being a physical illness? Gohan was to defeat Cell, but the boy had barely done so before. If Kakarot died, how was the boy supposed to step up to that kind of responsibility? Vegeta knew Gohan had rejected such stress in his time. Would Gohan do the same here, too?
Krillin proposed, "Well, as long as we stay just a couple of steps ahead, we might just have a chance. The androids are after Goku, right? So as long as we all stick together, they can't try anything."
"You mean as long as the saiyans stay with Kakarot," the old man bodaciously proposed. "Hmph, yes, that's not a bad idea."
"Okay," Tien nodded, accepting Vegeta's statement as he knew very well, despite his own pride, that the saiyans were far stronger than the humans could dream of being. "Then in that case, I think I'd like to go and pick up Choutsue so we can get back to training on our own. As soon as things get dicey again, we'll be there to help."
Yamcha agreed, "Yeah, sounds good. Krillin, you wanna do some training of our own at Kame House?"
"Sure. Don't know how much help we'll be," the turtle student replied. He then added, "Hey, listen, if you guys need us, just raise your power level and we'll be there. I'm going to grab some extra beans from Korin whenever I can."
"Good idea. Be careful you guys," Tien dismissed.
"Right, uh. Just…" Krillin spoke again. This time, he hesitated to continue, "Just one question first. The androids… Are they really as terrible as you guys say they are?"
Trunks coldly snapped his response, "They're ruthless and cold blooded. I've told you that before, Krillin. Why even ask?"
The short bald man knew no one would believe him. After all, these androids were supposed to be murderous machines. Just because they can feel fear and… kiss him… didn't mean they were any different, right? He gulped, "I… Hey, I was just hoping that we wouldn't all have to fight! Really! That's all!"
The teen wasn't sure what to make of Krillin's explanation. He could only hope that nothing bad could come of this later. Lives were at stake, both for this world and his own. Trunks stated plainly, "Well, hoping doesn't get us anywhere, I'm afraid."
The man deflated, "Yeah, I know that. It's just that I… Well… Oh, nevermind."
"The androids I know are slightly different from Trunks'… But they are still dangerous and to be avoided for now," the older Vegeta answered. He'd contemplated adding more, but decided against it. He didn't want to convince the bald man either way. If Krillin was to fall in love with 18, that was the grown man's own decision. He wasn't going to go out of the way to make it happen one way or the other.
"Right. Okay. See ya guys later, then," Krillin passed a wave and then the three humans split from the group in the direction for Kame House.
What Trunks' future father said made him scrunch his nose. The androids were different in this timeline than they were in his own? What could that possibly mean for them? These machines were tens of times stronger here than they were back in the future. Could they possibly be any more terrifyingly brutal?! They broke Vegeta's arms and his own leg! They tried to kill Goku!
The violenette complained, "I don't know why the future I predicted changed so much. The androids I fought weren't nearly as powerful, and there were only two of them! I don't get it! Father, you make it sound like time hasn't changed much at all from when you came back."
"It has, Trunks," the oldest saiyan answered seriously, "All of the fundamental changes from you are there, but the biggest change is everyone's strength. I trained with Kakarot before he came back on Earth, and that's made everyone here, including the androids, far stronger than they should be. Not to mention that Kakarot's still kicking instead of gasping in bed somewhere. It's the fact that things haven't changed so much that concerns me…"
Gohan nervously presented, "You mean that something new could be coming just because you came here?"
With similar anxiety, Future Vegeta responded, "I'm not sure…"
"So… What do we do now?" Goku asked. He was getting a little confused with the whole timeline back and forth thing. There were androids that were really strong, and a new foe promised to be even stronger. That's the main objective here. If they could figure out a way to get rid of one or the other, that would make everything just so much easier!
Trunks offered, "Well, maybe there is something I can do to help. I could travel to the past in my time machine and destroy the androids before Dr. Gero has the chance to activate them. It shouldn't be that hard now that I know where his laboratory is. If the androids are out of the way then we can focus on whatever this new thing is…"
"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea!" Goku exclaimed. No more androids would mean they'd only have this one really strong guy to deal with! It made Goku excited just thinking about the coming fight!
"No. You only have enough fuel to make one last trip. You need that fuel to make it back home. Plus, that's not how that works…" King Vegeta pointed out, deflating the other saiyans.
Gohan realized, "Oh! If you go back into the past and destroy the androids before Dr. Gero wakes them up, what happens to the androids that are here in this time? They wouldn't just vanish, would they? Because if changing the past makes them vanish, what happens to the time you came from? If time worked like that, wouldn't that mean that both of you would disappear too?"
Trunks exclaimed, "He's right! What was I thinking?! If I go back in time and destroy the androids, I can only save the future of that world. But I can't change anything that they've already done once they've been activated, which means there's really no point in me going back! There are three realities, including Father's. Just because we are changing things here doesn't mean we will be changing things in our own realities because they are already different."
Not really following, Goku attempted to summarize, "So you mean that even if we defeat these androids here, they'll still be alive in your world in the future?! Aw, man! So then, why did you guys come in the first place? If you can't change anything…"
Trunks, already knowing Vegeta's annoying answer, spoke, "My mother… You see? It was my mother's idea to send me back to the past. She didn't think there was anything more we could do to help the people in our world. But she knew there were others we could help. I agreed with my mother that I should travel back in time, but I had my own reason for wanting to go. I hoped that in the past with your help, Goku, I would find the androids had some weakness. That way, I could go back to the future and even though I still wouldn't be able to bring back all those already gone, I might be able to save the people who are left."
Vegeta watched his alternate son closely as the boy's eyes became unfocused. His face was contorted in a deep frown. His body was tense and his ki flared. This Trunks experienced Hell. This Trunks experienced pain like he had once experienced as a child himself. Something he'd never wish on his own blood. It made him angry and frustrated. He couldn't take that pain away.
"Trunks? Trunks. Trunks!" Gohan called the older boy out of his trance. "Are you okay?"
Taking a moment to come back to reality, Trunks shook his head clear and apologized, "Ah, sorry about that. Anyway, I thought this whole plan would work out perfectly except that I didn't count on there being such major differences between the timelines of my world and this world. I thought Goku's heart problems would come much earlier and I only thought there would be two androids, but instead there's three. And now everything's going wrong!"
"But there's still something that bugs me," Gohan stated. "How could you have miscalculated so much?"
Honestly, Trunks replied, "I don't know. I wish I did. I guess something changes when you travel back from the future."
Vegeta corrected, "Yes, but no. When you travel through time, you aren't just going back or forwards, you are crossing dimensions. When another time traveler came to warn myself of a different threat, he didn't realize we were already far stronger than what we should have been. Things should have played out differently even before he came to the past. No, you gamble on what world you land in. It'll be close, but not close enough."
Trunks gasped, "What?! Really?!"
The man continued, "Bulma's advanced in her technology, but she keeps the same basics in her machinery. It's why I traveled here instead of some place totally different. I'd imagine this world is different, but not as far branched as your time. Kakarot's alive and Cell is here somewhere, and that means time is still moving in the direction it's supposed to."
The group of saiyans touched down on Capsule Corp property and were led inside by the oldest saiyan. They were quickly greeted by Mrs. Briefs, "Oh my! Well isn't this a pleasant surprise?! Bulma! Guests are here! Oh, why don't you make yourselves at home and I go grab those cakes and cookies you asked for, hua?"
Shortly, Bulma came sprinting down the hallway to greet the saiyans, "Hua?! Hey, guys! Is everything alright?! How'd it go?! I've been so worried!" The young mother glanced at her future son and addressed him alone, "So Trunks, I received a call today from this guy who lives out in the middle of the country, somewhere to the west of here. He claims he found some sort of weird, old abandoned vehicle and he wants to keep it. But he doesn't know how to fly the thing, so he phoned us and asked us if we knew."
"O-kay?" Trunks encouraged.
"He tried to explain what kind of vehicle it was, but he didn't make any sense. Well, we didn't know if it was one of our products or not, but he swore to me that it had Capsule Corporation written right across it. So we asked him to send us a picture of it. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Here, follow me. I left it in the baby's room," Bulma continued. She began walking back in the direction she had come from and the group obediently followed her close on her heels. "It's a picture of the time machine Trunks came in and I've got some bad news for you, it was a wreck."
"But that can't be true!" Trunks exclaimed, pulling out his box of capsules from his jacket pocket. He opened the box and found his time machine still in its capsule where it belonged. "Here, look! I put it up. I put it back into its capsule when I landed."
"Seriously?" Bulma blinked. "But then… Well, the time capsule in the picture… It's the same, but I guess it does look like it's been sitting there for a while. It's almost completely overgrown in moss and stuff. So… Exactly how many time machines did we make in the future?"
As the group entered the room designated for the infant version of himself, Trunks stuttered, "H-how many? Well, we barely managed to make one."
Bulma raised her brows, "What? That's strange. I'm sure this is a time machine in the picture. Here, have a look."
The bluenette took up a photo off of a table in the center of the room and handed it over to her future son. He examined the picture and blinked in confusion, "Hua? That's my capsule… There's no mistaking it, guys. That's the one I came back in. Wait a second, what's going on here? I'm sure this is the same time capsule I used to come here from the future. This is so weird." Turning to his future father, he asked while showing the picture to the group, "Hey, do you know anything about this?"
Crossing his arms, he replied, "Yes. It belongs to Cell."
The boy's eyes widened, "What? Really?! Grah, I have to check this out. I don't like a capsule just sitting out there like that…"
"Alright then, I'm going too," Bulma declared.
"Wait, Mother, do you think that's safe? If there's this new threat out there, then who's to say he's not waiting there for us like a trap?"
"Relax, and remember: Mother always knows best. Besides, I want to check this out too. I want to get my hands on this time machine and see if I can figure out where it came from."
Vegeta knew that tone very well. Once that woman was set on something there would be no stopping her. It almost made him snort at her stubbornness. He uncrossed his arms and instructed, "Brat, you should go with Bulma to make sure that slime isn't still there."
Surprised at his future father's strange command, he argued weakly, "Wait, hold on…"
"Can I come with you?" Gohan asked. "It'll be better if there are two of us. Besides, he wouldn't send us if he knew this Cell guy was waiting there, right?"
Trunks sighed, knowing it was a losing battle, "Oh, alright."
The old saiyan stated, "Kakarot and I will remain here and train until you return."
"Okay!" Bulma clapped, glad about getting her way. She sure liked this mystery saiyan. The bluenette happily marched out of the room and walked down the hall to find her mother in one of her greeneries. Watering her plants and watching the song birds as usual, of course. "Hey, Mom. I'm going to go out for a while. Can you watch Trunks for me?"
"Well, I guess so. Where're you goin' sweety?" her mother innocently asked.
"Nowhere, really. I've just got to go spend some time with Trunks. If you hear the gravity machine on, Goku and King Vegeta will be training a bit, okay?" Bulma replied, not waiting for her mother's reaction as she turned and walked further down the hall with Future Trunks and Gohan trailing behind her.
The blonde woman blinked her eyes open, "Hua?!" and tipped her watering can in her hand.
The older saiyan remained in the doorway as he demanded, "Woman, where are those blasted cookies?"
Quickly recovering, Paunchy put her watering can on the small side table and exclaimed, "Oh, yes, of course! I put them in the oven to keep warm! Let me get them for you, okay dear?" She happily guided the saiyan man to the kitchen and pulled a tray of delicacies from the oven. Paunchy meticulously placed the cookies on a platter and the man took a seat at the table in expectation. When she was done, she handed over the plate and he nodded before digging into the sweets. Per typical saiyan fashion, he ate diligently and went through the cookies at an incredible speed. "Oh my! You sure love those cookies! Oh I love a man who appreciates a woman's cooking! Ho ho ho! Oh my! What am I saying?! I'm a married woman!"
Vegeta snorted and shook his head at her antics. His mother-in-law was always fond of him for some unknown reason. Women were an enigma! But he missed her cooking and would not take this trip to the past for granted for this very enjoyment! Mrs. Briefs' cooking would be worth even the best fight, unless against Kakarot of course. It'd been years since he'd last had a meal with the in-laws. Honestly, he even was somewhat grateful for Bikini's constant useless chatter.
"My goodness! I nearly forgot!" she exclaimed before scouring the fridge. The man looked up from his meal in curiosity. What was going on in that woman's head? "Hua, what would a creature such as that adorable thing like to eat? Oh, you should see it! It's the cutest little thing! Poor thing was on the side of the road from the market. I have no idea what it is though! Oh, what could a creature like this like to eat?"
Amused, Vegeta offered, "Isn't your husband a scientist? Shouldn't he know?"
"Oh my, you're right! How silly of me!" Bikini exclaimed and closed the fridge. "You enjoy those cookies, dear. I will go find that lovely husband of mine!"
With a hum and a skip in her step, the woman was gone. The saiyan shook his head once more from the entertainment. Never a dull moment in this household of his. As he continued munching on his cookies, Kami they were good, he knew he had to think of how he wanted to move forward. Things were changing. Smally, but still enough to be a concern. Would he need to teach someone how to become the ascended super saiyan so that they can master it and become strong enough to face Cell? Or would he simply encourage them to become stronger and take care of a, potentially, stronger Cell?
Kakarot appeared out of thin air before the older saiyan, making him chomp down hard on the most recent cookie to enter his mouth. The man scolded, "Blast it, Kakarot! I could have bit my cheek open!"
The younger itched at the back of his neck and apologized with his classic goofy grin, "Oops! Sorry!"
"What did you need?" the older questioned as he put the half a piece of cookie back on the plate and crossed his arms in anticipation.
Embarrassed, Kakarot replied, "Oh, um. I kind of sort of got a little bit lost… This place is a maze, you know?! And I was wondering if you knew where the Gravity Room was."
Vegeta sweatdropped, "It's literally the large white pod outside the building… How could you possibly get lost going outside? There are literal exit signs in the main hallways…"
"Oh, thanks," Kakarot laughed off his embarrassment and reached over the man before him to grab a handful of cookies from the plate. He excitedly shoved the food into his mouth and mumbled between the crumbs, "Boy, these are good! Not as good as Chichi's, but still good!"
"Swallow before you talk, idiot. Haven't you choked yourself enough to learn this?" Vegeta reprimanded. Kakarot was such a child sometimes! With a sigh, the man got up from his chair, picking up the remaining cookies from the plate, and led the younger saiyan outside to train. This was going to be a very long week…