Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
By Feraligreater328
A/N: Made a small error in the timeline. The Future Trio is from 17 years in the future, not 15 years.
Chapter 72: Present, Part 3
In the present, on the airship carrying Goku to Kame House...
Future Daikon groaned and bowed his head onto his knees, everyone else in the airship looked to him. Gine frowned. "Is...is he okay?"
Future Trunks glanced over at his partner and then at his girlfriend. Both of them looked positively miserable. He took a deep breath. "I'll finish off the story from here, I suppose. They each took a part that was hard for them to have to remember, so I'll take the part that I have the hardest time thinking about..."
Chi-Chi sounded concerned. "Y-You don't have to, Trunks..."
He shook his head. "No, I do. I should have been open and honest about all of this from the beginning..."
Trunks sighed. "After Gohan died, there isn't really much left to say anyway. 17 and 18 continued their thing, just on a smaller scale. They killed and slaughtered and did as they pleased, but mass destruction grinded to a halt. They realized that they had truly, definitively won. Nothing...nothing could stand up to them..."
He lowered his head. "We thought that if we trained, then we'd be able to. But...we were so wrong..."
In the Future's Past, two years after the death of Gohan...
The mourning of Gohan lasted for a while after the three kids returned with his body. Nobody quite knew how to respond, what to say, how to act, or how to move on. Once the initial stages of grief had passed, they all got together and eventually interred Gohan's body in the atrium of Capsule Corp. Before they sealed the coffin shut, they did their best to try and cover up the "17" burned into his chest. Once that was done, Gohan was quickly buried.
And from there, time soldiered on as time always did. Bulma, adopting a new form of determination, sequestered herself in her lab to work on what she referred to as their "only remaining option". She, the Pilaf Gang, and Dr. Briefs all worked, day and night, to try and bring this final idea into fruition.
Even when her father and her mother both gave in to old age, Bulma continued on with her attempts to bring this concept to life.
Not long after the elder Briefs died, Chi-Chi went along with them.
Launch, meanwhile, fell into a deep depression. With no one to focus her hate and anger towards, Launch was forced to internalize her negative feelings. Once the dirt was finally shoveled atop Gohan's grave, Launch finally broke. She feel to her knees, swallowed by sadness, and spent her days from then on grieving. For her lost friends, for Gohan...but mostly for Raditz.
And, as for Gohan's trio of students, they continued to work hard and increase their strengths. And, with all of that hard work, they were able to add a second Super Saiyan to their ranks.
New West City, Capsule Corp...
Ranch stepped out of the atrium with a sullen look on her face. She stared down at the tray in her hands, noticing that it had barely been touched. She shook her head. "Mom..."
The young, Saiyan woman had taken on a lot of responsibilities up to this moment. Once Chi-Chi had passed, their little home had been left without any sort of homemaker. So, Ranch took that duty onto her own shoulders, working during the day to make sure that the house ran smoothly and people were properly fed and clothed and working at night to train herself and become stronger.
After clearing Launch's plate and starting the dishwasher, Ranch went to the laundry room and began to load the washing machine as well. As she loaded the machine, she could hear rumbling a few doors down. Her two boys were going at it in Vegeta's old gravity chamber without her.
She had to hurry so that she could get in on the training as well.
After quickly loading the washer and transferring a previous load to the dryer, Ranch went running. As she went down the curved hallway, the sounds of crashing and thrashing ceased. Ranch's brow furrowed. "Damn it. Come on..."
Rounding the last bit of the hallway, Ranch came upon the worst site she had expected, her two fellow students were fresh out of the chamber, their Super Saiyan forms glowing bright. Ranch sighed. "Come on guys...you couldn't have waited just a bit longer...?"
Trunks took a break from his bottle of water. "O-Oh, we're sorry Ranch. We just wanted to try and-"
Ranch shook her head. "N-No, it's fine! You two are both Super Saiyans. You need to keep trying to get stronger if we're ever going to beat 17 and 18..."
Trunks' training partner frowned. "Are you sure, Ranch? If you want us to wait for you next time-"
She shook her head again. "No. I'm fine. I mean it. You guys just need to focus on yourselves. I'll just train a bit longer tonight than I normally do. It shouldn't be long before I go blonde too~"
Ranch chuckled, but her two fellow students could tell that she wasn't okay. The stress of life was weighing harshly on her lately. Trunks smirked. "Well, next time we train, you're coming with us. We could use someone as creative as you involved to keep us on our toes~"
Ranch blushed. But she quickly adopted a smile. "S-Sure. I'd love to~"
Between the two of them, the now-black-haired young man shifted his gaze between his two friends. "Uh...guys...this is a bit awkward to be stuck between..."
Both Ranch and Trunks flinched, glancing away and each turning away out of embarrassment. Luckily, the awkward feeling didn't last long. Surprising all three kids, an explosion echoed out through Capsule Corp. The three of them, instantly fearing the worst, all sprinted in the direction of the explosion: towards Bulma's lab.
On the other side of Capsule Corp, Bulma's lab...
The three kids came running into the lobby that housed Bulma's lab and workshop. The site they came upon was indeed concerning, but not nearly the Android-level threat they had expected to find. The three members of the Pilaf Gang were all standing around the door, jets of flames shooting from the doorway. Each was armed with a fire extinguisher and rapidly attempting to suffocate the flames. Ranch called out. "What the hell is going on?!"
Shu turned. "Oh, hey Miss Ranch."
Pilaf sneered. "Bulma's kid..."
Mai glanced over to the remaining Saiyan, a gentle smile crossing her face. "H-Hey there...you're, uh, looking strong..."
He didn't seem to notice her attempted advances, instead focusing on the flames. "No, seriously, what's going on?!"
Trunks cut in. "Where's my mother?!"
Pilaf growled. "She's probably burning up because she refuses to follow-"
A familiar form leapt out of the burning room, her foot stomping on Pilaf's face. She reached down and grabbed his fire extinguisher and began to expertly snuff out the flickering flames. "You three need to learn to work faster!"
Bulma stepped off of Pilaf and forced her way back into the room, killing out roaring fires as she charged in. Pilaf sat up, a fresh boot print on his face. "And you need to learn that when I say the readings are looking off, you should shut off the machine!"
Pilaf snatched and extinguisher from Shu, aiming it at the flames crackling on the shoulder of Bulma's lab coat and snuffing them out. Gohan's trio of students stood in shock, none of them knowing what to say. Seeing her opportunity, Mai inched closer to the target of her affections. "It's...nice to see you with black hair again. It... looks nicer on you than blonde..."
She grabbed a small lock, smiling. "And the longer look is nice too~"
Bulma stepped out of her lab, coughing up a storm. "Jeez..."
She glanced up and saw the three, dumbfounded half-Saiyans standing before her. "Oh, hey guys, done with training already?"
A long silence, but then Trunks finally worked up the nerve to speak. "Mom, what's going on...?"
Bulma's eyes lit up. "Oh, oh right! You three have got to see this!"
The scientist charged into the still-smoking lab, but then immediately rushed back out with a massive smile on her face. "Look...at..."
She produced a pink minidress with the word "BULMA" emblazoned across the chest. "THIS!"
Once again, the kids had no clue what to say. Finally, after a long while of everyone staring at the outfit in Bulma's hands, Ranch spoke. "It's...a nice dress, Miss Bulma. But, uh... why are you so excited about it...?"
Bulma nodded, lighting a cigarette. "Oh, right..."
She exhaled smoke. "Well you see, back when I first met Goku, I was just a 16-year-old ingenue. A fair maiden out looking for adventure armed only with her wits and her Dragon Radar. I was unprepared for the horrors of the wilderness. This was the dress I was wearing for my trip! A pterodactyl picked me up in it! I pissed myself in this dress! Out of fear!"
Trunks' face turned bright red. "MOM!"
The boy's two friends consoled his embarrassment. The black-haired young man chuckled. "That was...a nice story, Miss Bulma..."
She wagged her finger at the tree. "I'm not done with the story. You see...I threw that dress away. I didn't have a washing machine with me at the time and I knew I would never get the smell out of it, so I just tossed it when I got back here, to Capsule Corp, in the room behind me..."
Ranch cocked her head. "S-Still not following, ma'am. Sorry..."
Bulma smiled wide. "I threw this thing away when I was sixteen, Ranch. Back when Goku and I were just kids~"
As the three kids stared as her, Bulma sighed. "And I have it now...because I reached backwards in time and took it out of the trash~"
A collective gasp erupted from the three of them. They all stared at Bulma as she upturned the dress at them. "See? It's still wet and everything~"
Trunks tried to brush the embarrassing story aside and get straight to business. "That's what you've been doing, Mom?! You...figured out how to travel through time?!"
Bulma finished her cigarette, tossing it aside for Pilaf to skittishly extinguish with a fire extinguisher. She nodded. "Yup. It's a thought I've had ping-ponging around in my head for a while. Ya see, when Goku and Raditz came back from space, I had them explain their new techniques to me. Goku had his Instant Transmission and Raditz had his Instant Warp."
She began to pace. "The aliens they learned these moves from had actually taught them how to use spirit power, or something, to do that sort of thing. Raditz learned to move his entire, physical being from one place that he could physically see to another, Goku learned to locate beacons of energy and then use his spirit power, or whatever, to hone in on and teleport to that beacon. So, using those concepts, I began to think of practical ways to scientifically replicate the method and then apply it to stuff..."
Trunks spoke up. "Mom..."
She continued. "And so, from there, I was able to take the concept of honing in on a certain thing and reach it utilizing a similar process. You see, I hypothesize that Goku and Raditz were, in fact, using their power to briefly access and outer dimension from the ones we are normally capable of observing and using that to rapidly travel. Raditz was faster than Goku because his revolved around short distance, Goku was slightly slower because he had to find a beacon and maintain a solid connection with said beacon..."
Trunks tried again. "Mom..."
She continued even more. "So, taking that hypothesis, I started mapping out what it would take to utilize that to travel not just on this plane, but also backwards and forwards through this plane. And I came up with this idea. Time Travel, ya see, has three variables: Variable X, the timestream Variable Y, the spacestream; and variable Z, the dimension stream. You see, if you believe in string theory and the butterfly effect and things like that, then it is entirely possible that there are countless timelines out there, multiple alternate histories that have played out, due to different choices, that we'll never get to observe ourselves. I call them 'What-ifs'. So, in order to be able to travel and not just end up in another 'What-if', it is required that we maintain a solid hold on Variables X, Y, and Z in order to ensure that, once we start trying to go back in time, we are able to maintain a connection with our own string, and then-"
Finally, Trunks shouted. "MOM!"
Bulma paused, Trunks looked like he had just run a mile. "What does any of this have to do with that dress?!"
Bulma looked down at the outfit. "Oh, right. Well, simply put, I've broken through Variable X. I've successfully ripped a hole in the time barrier and reached through. No telling which 'What-if' I pulled this from, but I was able to pull it regardless."
She winked. "And, with that solved, getting the other two right should be a cinch. All we have to do is hope that messing with the past will change the future..."
Ranch flinched. "M-Messing with the past?!"
Bulma nodded. "Yep. That's what this big project of mine has been. I'm going to figure out the three variables and then build a vehicle to exploit those variables. I'm gonna make a Time Machine and we're gonna go back and prevent this whole Android catastrophe from ever happening in the first place!"
The black-haired young man seemed incredulous. "What's the point? I mean...even if we tell everyone about the Androids early, would they be able to become strong enough? 17 and 18's strength seems limitless..."
Bulma poked him on the forehead. "You've gotta have faith, sweetie. Besides, we're going to give our friends in the past even more of an edge, hopefully. This Time Machine isn't the only project I'm working on. The other things seem like it might come along nicely as well..."
Trunks cocked his head. "What other thing?"
Bulma smiled. "A vaccine. If we're going to attempt to go through all of this trouble with breaking the laws of space and physics, then we might as well attempt to gain as many advantages as possible. I just need...another 4-to-5 months or so..."
While they were skeptical at first, hopeful smiles began to spread across the kids' faces. Maybe this might be it. Maybe they had finally found a solution to all of their troubles. Maybe things would be okay...
And then, the radio sparked alive and the hopeful mood in the room was dashed. The two boys both turned to it, hearing the familiar tune of a broadcaster frantically describing an attack by the Androids. 17 and 18 had apparently been offended in a place called Bridge Town and, as such, were terrorizing and destroying the place.
Trunks reached up, gripping the hilt of his sword. "Damn...damn them..."
His partner clenched his fists tight. "Trunks...we're both Super Saiyans. If we left right now...we could..."
Neither of them said it, but it was clear by looking at them what the two were thinking. Vengeance was on the menu. If the Androids were sticking around in Bridge Town for a while...then they could end this today.
And then, surprising Ranch and Bulma, the two boys turned and bolted for the exit.
Outside of Capsule Corp...
The two young men ran out the front entrance to Capsule Corp, both of them radiating with determination. As their feet left the ground, their third partner came out and shouted at them. "Where are you two going?!"
They both looked down, seeing a worried Ranch. Ranch was quickly joined by a frantic and angry-looking Bulma. "No! Absolutely not! I forbid it! Do you two hear me?!"
Trunks gripped his fist. "M-Mom..."
Bulma shook her head. "You listen to me, Trunks V. Briefs! You will not rush off just to have those monsters kill you! Y-You can't! The world needs you two alive, the people of the past need you two alive, I need you two alive!"
Ranch was shaking. "Guys...please..."
The two of them appeared to stop, for just a moment. But then, the sight of Gohan's corpse flashed through their minds and both boys went Super Saiyan in response. The Power Pole was drawn and its wielder sneered. "That won't happen! Not this time. This time...they have to face two Super Saiyans..."
Trunks drew his sword. "This time, they die!"
Both boys were incensed, their tails having come loose from around their waists. And then, without another word, the two of them rushed off in the direction of Bridge Town.
Bulma was genuinely speechless. Ranch was shaking. "Damn it..."
As the two women stood there, Yajirobe came walking through the main gate with a bag of food and even more remaining food stuck in his beard. "Hey ladies. What's up?"
Ranch shrieked, whipping off her housekeeping apron and taking to the sky. "DAMN IT!"
Yajirobe flinched, falling onto his ass. "Whoa. What's her problem?"
No response. Yajirobe turned his head. "Bul-"
The ronin flinched. Bulma was crouched on the ground, shaking like a leaf. As she began to sob, Yajirobe swallowed a lump in his throat, and then he looked towards the direction that Ranch had went flying.
In Bridge Town...
Android 17 and Android 18 both sat in their seats, watching the movie as it played. Scattered around them, the blasted dead remains of several unfortunate movie-goers. Android 18 put her feet up, slamming them down onto a dead woman's slumped form. 17 reached down next to the woman, snatching a half-eaten bag of candy from her unfortunate son and casually eating it. "Did we go cause some shit on the set of this movie? I feel like we did..."
18 shrugged. "No. I think went and destroyed it for funsies while they were trying to do some reshoots."
17 nodded. "Ah."
As the two of them continued to watched the movie, the screen suddenly began to bubble and warp. 17 cocked his head. "The hell?"
The screen burst with an explosion of ki. Through the explosion, in the dust, two golden forms rushed in. 18 dodged the Power Pole as it shot forward and 17 blocked a sword strike with a small barrier formed around his fist. The dust cleared and the Androids saw the two, young Super Saiyans stood before them. 17 laughed out loud. "See?! I told you that Gohan's students were still alive! I told you!"
18 rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
She directed her attention towards the two of them. "You two must think you're both hot shit, huh? Think you look like actions stars or something?"
The Power Pole receded and its wielder snapped at 18. "We certainly look better than you, scarface!"
18 flinched, her eyes widening. But then, her brow furrowed with rage and a blush formed across the face, except for over the faint scar across the bridge of her nose. 17 whistled. "Man... you two must not want to live, huh?"
Before either could respond, Android 18 shot forward. Her fist sailed towards the insulter's face, but Trunks stepped between them and blocked it. "I'm the one that sliced your face, remember?! Why don't you fight me?!"
18 snarled. "I'll kill you, you little prick!"
She kicked Trunks, which he blocked with his arm, and sent him flying across the theater. She followed and a brawl broke out, which 17 casually watched. "He's actually holding up kinda well. This outta be-"
The Power Pole came crashing down, but 17 caught it with his bare hand. He turned and glared at the boy holding it. "You...your long hair reminds me of that Raditz guy..."
The boy's power flared, Super Saiyan aura lashing out. 17 chuckled. "That look...kinda makes me wanna impale you~"
On both sides of the aisle, the Saiyan boys fought with their respective Android opponents. Both of the lads had been training day-and-night to try and work out a way to deal with their mechanical foes, boosting their speed and power as much as possible in order to try and blitz the Androids and catch them off-guard.
18 was given a punch to the face and her opponent fired an attack at her. "Buster Cannon!"
17 was kicked in the gut and his opponent fired a blast at him. "Masenko!"
Both attacks collided with the Androids, smashing them into the ground and into a wall respectively. Trunks charged forward, drawing his sword and diving into the dust cloud kicked up around Android 18. Meanwhile, 17's opponent leapt into the air and slammed down atop him. Blinded by rage, the young man began to rain down punches onto the prone Android, berserker tears streaming down his face.
Each punch was delivered with enough force to make the ground crack. Each blow given with a certain person in mind. This was retaliation. An unrelenting assault meant to punish Android 17 for every life he had ruined. But then, in the middle of the punching bonanza, 17's hand shot up and grabbed his foe by the wrist. "Working through some stuff, are we?"
The boy gasped, staring down at the relatively unscathed Android. "Wha-"
He was immediately met by a harsh punch to the face.
Meanwhile, Trunks was having about as much luck. His initial sword swing had made contact, but 18 seemed to be expecting something like that. She had deflected the blade and then sent Trunks flying back with a kick to the chest. 18 brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm not just going to let you cut me, ya know..."
And then the tide of the battle immediately shifted. Both warriors we pushed back and then quickly overwhelmed by their opponents. 17 chuckled as he manhandled his attacker. "Did you two really think you were just going to rush in here and pull a Gohan on us? Gohan was barely able to do that when he was at his peak! Who do you nameless losers think you are?"
18 twisted Trunks' arm behind his back and punched him in the kidney. "It's kinda sad. They seem to have thought they were actually going to march in here and win."
Both boys went tumbling, eventually crashing into one another. The two of them stood and drew their weapons. Then, they both shouted and their power surged. They charged back at the Androids, swinging their weapons with grace and precision. But it didn't matter.
17 smirked as he slapped away various strikes from the Power Pole. 18 rolled her eyes, lifting her foot above a swing of Trunks' sword and stomping the tip of it into the ground. She smirked at Trunks. "Little boys shouldn't play with knives~"
She picked up the sword, swinging it around like a toy before tossing it out the hole that the two Super Saiyans had made during their dynamic entry. Trunks flinched in shock, and 18 took advantage by leaping forward and kicking the boy in the head. He went flying, smashing into his partner, and smashing them both into a heap on the ground.
17 and 18 both loomed over them, chuckling. 17 smirked. "So, give in yet?"
17's opponent smashed his fist into the ground, screaming in fury as he stood back up. Trunks was struggling, grabbing onto a metal railing and pulling himself up. The both of them look at one another and nodded. 18 rolled her eyes. "Come on..."
And then, the two boys charged in unison. They both reared their fists back at the same time. The Androids seemed amused and prepared to block. But then, in a brief moment of surprise, the two of them switched up. Trunks shot his fist forward, but punched 17 across the face instead. His partner did that same, rocking 18 and knocking her to the ground.
The two of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder, breathing heavy as the Androids stood back up. 17 sneered. "Cute."
18 stood up as well and started to say something, but both boys charged in again. They each drew their weapon, or Trunks' sheath in his case, and attacked their new foes. The Power Pole jabbed into 18's chest, making her gag, and the sheath was busted across 17's head.
The two boys leapt into the air, both of them charging a new attack. But, before they could fire, 18's hand shot up and gripped around Trunks' ankle. She looked annoyed. "Games can be fun, but I think we're all a bit old for tag, boys..."
She pulled Trunks out of the air, slamming him face first onto the ground and making a small crater. Trunks bounced up, trying to strike back, but was kicked away for his troubles. He tried to get up again, but 18 slammed her foot down onto his gut.
17, meanwhile, went back to his original opponent as well. The Android had crossed his arms across his chest and was making a show of beating his foe with only his legs, kicking the boy in the crotch and then smashing him in the face with the bottom of his shoe. The boy stumbled back; his right eyebrow having split open. 17 tried to kick him again, but he was able to catch the Android's foot. "I'm not-"
17 wasted no time in punching him right across the mouth. The Super Saiyan hit the ground and then 17 began peppering him with tiny, stinging energy blasts.
Seeing this, Trunks tried to dive to the side and rush 17. "Stop that!"
18 didn't let this slide, however, stomping her foot onto Trunks' ankle and making him bounce his face off the ground. She sneered. "Still here, idiot."
17 chuckled. "Hey now, don't be rude~ They're trying their best. And they're certainly lasting longer than I thought they would..."
18 rolled her eyes. "Only because we're going easy on them. It would take them years to become stronger enough to be any sort of match for us..."
17 stopped blasting his opponent, leaving his smoking form lying on the ground. "I guess. But, it's still nice to have them around. I missed this~"
18 nodded. "Same, I guess. It's certainly nice to have a punching bag that doesn't break after one hit..."
She stared hatefully down at Trunks, watching as the boy tried to pull his foot out from under 18's foot. And then, a wicked smirked spread across 18's face. "Actually, if I'm being honest, looking at him only really serves to remind me of all of the fun, hateful things I wanted to do to Gohan..."
She lifted her other foot, stomping it down onto Trunks' back and making the boy scream in agony. "...hindsight is 20/20, after all. You never really think of anything fun to do with someone until you've lost them..."
Finally, 18 reached down and grabbed Trunks' tail. The boy shivered and looked up at 18, seeing the vile smirk on her face. 18 laughed. "Good thing this one's a Saiyan too~"
Trunks shook his head. "N-No! No please! No! Please don't! Please! Stop! St-AGGGHH!"
18 squeezed Trunks' tail and started to pull. Slowly, she applied pressure as she pulled the defenseless Saiyan's tail farther and farther. Tears were raining down Trunks' face as he tried to fight back. "No! No! Please stop! Please! Please please! No!"
And then, with an utterly hateful chuckle, Android 18 yanked her arm back and ripped Trunks' tail clean off. The boy screamed at the top of his lungs, shaking with pain as 18 wagged around the detached tail. "I wished so badly that I had taken Gohan's when he was alive, but then you all just had to take his body and bury it. So, I think I'm going to hold onto yours~"
Trunks sobbed on the ground as 18 wrapped his tail around her neck like a scarf. "What do you think, 17?"
17 shrugged. "I guess...if you like it. Fashion isn't really my thing, ya know?"
18 nodded. "That's fair..."
On the ground, Trunks continued to moan in pain. He tried to push himself up, but 18 gave him a kick for his troubles. "Shut up!"
And then, for added cruelty, she fired a beam from her finger at Trunks' wound and seared it shut. "There! I fixed it! Happy?!"
Trunks could do little more and moan in pain and terror. 18 shook her head. "Some people are so ungrateful..."
She kicked Trunks in the side once more, this time launching him through the air and on top of his partner. Trunks laid there, wheezing in pain as his fellow Super Saiyan groaned under him. 17 cocked his head towards 18. "So...do we let them live?"
18 bobbed her head from side-to-side. "I say...yeah..."
17 turned to her. "You sound unsure."
18 nodded. "Well, ya see...we only really got to see it one time, but I preferred Gohan with the one-armed look. Ya know what I mean...?"
17 nodded back. "I get ya. You want to stick to an aesthetic."
The male Android smirked, throwing his arm to the side and summoning a ki blade. "I'm game."
18 chuckled, summoning a ki blade of her own. "I'm going to take off the tailless wonder's arm~"
17 began to march. "That's fine. I'm going to lop off the other one's leg, just so we can tell them apart going forward..."
The two Androids marched forward, with only the cruelest of intentions in mind. But, before either of them could strike, three metal canisters landed at their feet. 17 stared at them with confusion. "Wh-"
And then, all three canisters exploded with bursts of ki. The force of the explosions engulfed both Androids and sent the two boys flying through the air. They both landed near the hole in the screen that they had made. Trunks groaned, barely conscious. His partner shook him. "Trunks. H-Hey..."
And then, a foot stepped in front of the boy's face. He looked up and sighed in relief. "Ranch..."
Ranch's face was twisted with fear and despair. She looked down at her two, injured friends and couldn't think of what to say. She helped the conscious one to his feet and he spoke. "Ranch, th-"
She slapped him across the face. "IDIOTS!"
He paused for a moment, staring at Ranch's big, sparkling eyes. He nodded. "Yeah...we're idiots..."
She bent down. "Trunks! Wake up!"
Trunks' eyes cracked open, he looked up at her face. "R-Ranch..."
Ranch didn't slap him. She simply hugged him close. And then, after that hug, she began to pull him up. "Come on! Get on your feet! We have to go!"
Trunks shakily got to his feet. The three of them all nodded at one another and then started to run, but Trunks immediately lost balance and fell forward. Ranch turned to him and shouted. "Trunks, what are-"
She gasped at the sight of his back, noticing something missing straightaway. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR TAIL?!"
Trunks tried to push himself up, but his sense of balance was gone. Quickly, his two friends helped him up. Once they had Trunks safely tucked over their shoulders, the two of them took to the air and flew out the hole in the screen.
All seemed well, as if they had made their escape. But then, two Power Blitzes shot from the wrecked movie theater and smashed into the boy and girl's back. All three of the kids fell from the sky and hit the ground with a harsh thud.
After a moment, the two of them pushed themselves up. Ranch stared across the street and saw that Trunks had landed atop a nearby car. He was barely conscious. She looked over and saw her other friend lying on the street next to her. "H-Hey! Are you okay...?"
She tried to reach out to him. "Hey-"
Suddenly, a familiar cowboy boot stomped down and landed on Ranch's hand. She screamed in pain, feeling her bones break under the weight of the stomp. The other warrior turned, seeing Ranch at the mercy of Android 18. He tried to get up. "N-No! Ranch!"
But, before he could get his feet under him, he was suddenly grabbed into a headlock from behind. As he choked, he looked over his shoulder to see the smirking face of Android 17. 17 chuckled. "Hey buddy~"
Across the street, Trunks' wits slowly returned. The sound was muffled by the daze he was in, but Trunks could hear the sounds of combat going on right next to him. The sounds of punches landing, bones cracking, people screaming...
He shakily pulled himself from the top of the car and landed on the street with a thud. As he pushed himself up, the sound of another punch echoed out and then a skipped into his view on the ground. Trunks picked it up and looked closely, eventually coming to the realization that it was someone's front tooth.
Trunks looked up and, finally, he realized what was happening. He stared at his two partners, one of them having lost his Super Saiyan form and the other one having lost her front tooth. Both of them were beaten and bloodied and barely conscious, held in the iron grips of Android 17 and Android 18. Trunks was running on fumes at this point, but he still snapped at the Androids. "L-Leave them alone, you bastards! Come and... f-fight me..."
17 and 18 both turned their attention to Trunks. They both shrugged, dropping their two victims' bodies to the ground, and then marched over to their new target. On the ground, all the other two could do was watch as 17 and 18 both beat on Trunks. They lifted him from the ground and beat and bashed on him until he went limp. And then, they dropped him to the ground, leaning him against the side of the car, and kicked him a few more times for good measure.
Finally, once that lost its novelty, the two Androids stood between all three of their beaten and battered victims. All fell silent for a moment as the Android whispered between one another. And then, Android 17 spoke up. "Okay! 18 and I have decided something!"
The three kids all glared towards 17. The male Android smirked. "I'm sure that the three of you would agree that 3-on-2 isn't really fair. Not only do you guys outnumber us, which is lame...but that also means that one of you has to wait for your turn while we play with the other two~"
18 chuckled. "So, to be fair to us and to you, going forward, one of you has to die. Right here. Right now."
17 smirked. "We're not going to be mean about this though. We aren't going to make you guys decide which of you has to die or anything like that..."
18 shook her head as she marched towards Ranch. "Nope~"
Android 18 picked up Ranch, forcing the poor girl's arms behind her back and pinning them in place with a tight hold.
Trunks shakily tried to push himself up. "N-No..."
But then, he watched as 17 walked over to his other friend and grabbed the boy in a tight, one-armed headlock. Trunks flinched in confusion. And then, with a cruel smile...Android 17 formed and air-tight energy shield around Trunks' head. Trunks' fell to the ground, his cries rendered silent by the shield. He thrashed and pounded on the shield, desperate to try and break it. However, all of his attempts were futile.
Ranch cried out, trying to break free from 18. "NO! STOP! STOP! PLMMPH!"
18 wrapped her hand around Ranch's mouth, squeezing the girl's mouth tightly shut. She chuckled. "Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh... just watch~"
17 tightened his grip around his hostage's throat. "You too. I want you to see the look in his eyes when he dies. Make sure you're looking clo-"
Blood erupted from 17's mouth, his eyes going wide. He hand controlling the shield fell and the shield shattered, Trunks going limp. Android 18 turned to her counterpart and gasped, 17 looked down and couldn't believe his eyes. Sticking through his lower right side was Trunks' sword. His grip loosened and he dropped his hostage, turning to see Yajirobe standing directly behind him. "Y-You..."
17 fell to his knees. Yajirobe nodded. "Yeah. It's me..."
Yajirobe reared his fist back and punched 17 in the mouth. It clearly didn't hurt, but 17 was still thrown off enough to be knocked backwards. 18 sneered, tossing Ranch to the side. "You're that fat bastard from that tower!"
The ronin nodded, glaring at 18 and drawing his katana. "Kids, get outta here! Let me handle this one!"
17's former hostage pushed himself up. "Mr. Yajirobe...?"
Yajirobe shouted at the two remaining, conscious kids. "Get going, dammit!"
18 chuckled, a hateful look in her eye. "Do you really think you're buying them any time to get away?"
Yajirobe sneered. "Maybe. Maybe not. I stabbed pretty boy through, so I think maybe I might get lucky twice!"
18 narrowed her eyes. "And I think I'm just going to end up showing you all the creative places I can shove that katana."
Yajirobe flinched, shrieking in fear. And then, to 18's surprise, he immediately turned tail and ran. 18 was slightly taken aback. "Man, for a tub of lard he sure can move."
And then, she immediately gave chase.
With 18 gone, Trunks' allies both stumbled over to him. It was clear that neither was in any sort of shape to fight. Shakily, they both pulled one of Trunks' arms over their shoulders. They knew they didn't have very long. Ranch turned to her kin. "Hey...can you...WATCH OUT!'
He turned his head just in time to have a fist slam into the side of it. Ranch and Trunks both fell to the ground, Ranch hearing their third partner groaning in the distance. She sat up and, to her horror, she saw Android 17 standing up with the sword still sticking into him. And he looked pissed.
17 chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "I... said that one of you are going to die. And... I meant it..."
He turned and lumbered towards the one he had just punched. "Maybe...maybe more..."
Ranch watched from the ground as 17 lumbered towards one of her only two remaining family members. He was defenseless on the ground, unable to defend himself at all. The Android raised his hand into the air and charged a blast. Ranch mumbled to herself. "N-No..."
And then, so many memories flashed through her head. Aunt Chi-Chi and Cousin Gohan. Her father. All of the other family that she lost before she was even old enough to remember. She couldn't lose anyone else. She couldn't! She wouldn't!
17 loomed over his target when, suddenly, he heard a feminine screen behind him. He recognized it as that brat's voice. 17 turned. "Don't worry, you-"
A golden wreathed fist smashed into 17's face, making it warp inward. The force of the attack made 17 spin around. He cursed. "You little bitch, I-"
Suddenly, he felt her grab the handle of the sword sticking in him and yank it out. 17 coughed up more blood and turned. "You little bi-"
Standing before 17, tears streaming down her face and Trunks slung over her shoulder was the now Super Saiyan Ranch. She held her hand up and charged a blast, and then she fired it before 17 could respond. "Shining Friday!"
The Android was engulfed, sent flying down the street, and into the side of a parked bus. Once 17 was briefly dispatched, Ranch wasted no time. She could hear the pained shrieks of Yajirobe in the distance. It wouldn't be long before 18 was back. So, she reached down and grabbed her kin, flinging him over her other shoulder, and then she escaped.
Miles away, hidden in the forests near Bridge Town...
There was no telling how much time had passed, but he woke up to a sound he didn't like to hear: Ranch crying. He sat up and looked around, seeing his Power Pole and Trunks' sword next to him under what appeared to be a canopy of gnarled tree roots. In the distance, he could see explosions and smoke rising into the sky.
17 and 18 were still rampaging. Still unawares, the black-haired young man didn't know what to do. That is, until he heard Ranch speak. "Please, you have to wake up..."
He turned and saw Ranch frantically giving chest compressions to an unconscious Trunks, her eyes wet with tears and her shoulders shaking. "Live...live, live, live, live, live, live, live, live..."
Ranch lowered her lips to his, pressing them together and blowing into his mouth. And then she returned to giving chest compressions. "Please Trunks. You've got to wake up...we can't do this without you..."
Finally, she noticed that their third counterpart was sitting up, wide awake. And then she began to sob, her face turning bright red and scrunching up. "He won't wake up. I can't...I can't...get him to wake up..."
He tried to stand but couldn't, his legs feeling like jelly. So, instead, he crawled over to his fallen partner. The two of them both gripped Trunks' hands tight, feeling them and flinching at how cold they were. He began to cry as well, tears streaming down his face. "Trunks...you...you can't just leave us like this, man..."
Ranch began to wail, shaking like a leaf and squeezing Trunks' hand tight. He squeezed Trunks' hand as well. "We're a trio...we can't have one of us dying off like this..."
As they both sat there, crying and miserable, knowing that he wasn't going to survive...they both began to glow. Their hair didn't change, but the golden Super Saiyan aura surrounded them both and extended to veil over Trunks. It took a moment, a moment of them both thinking that it was all over...but, eventually, a desperate gas echoed out from Trunks' mouth. To the shock of his two best friends, Trunks' chest began to rise and fall.
His eyes, although barely, cracked open. "G-Guys..."
And then, the two of them broke down even more, pulling Trunks in close and squeezing him tight and sobbing their hearts out.
In New West City, the Capsule Corp Medical Bay...
The three kids sat in silence as they waited for it to come. They knew that they were due a chewing out any moment now. The two boys had both been stuck in bed for three days. A lack of Senzu Beans rendered harsh fights like the one they had had much more taxing. Ranch hadn't left the room once since they had gotten back, not even for Bulma to put in her new dental implant. She sat there, taking the pain without so much as a squeak as Bulma drilled and entirely new tooth into the socket the old one had been in.
Soon enough, Bulma walked in. She kept her back to the three of them. She marched over to each and handed Ranch a tiny paper cup and a bottle of water. "Pain killers. I imagine your face must be on fire."
Ranch nodded. "Th-Thank you..."
Bulma stood there, her arms crossed. Once Ranch had taken her medicine, she nodded. "Good?"
Ranch nodded back. "Good."
Bulma sighed. "Good."
And then, without skipping a beat, Bulma delivered a massive slap to the back of each of the kid's head, making two of them flinch in pain and nearly making Trunks fall out of his bed. The three of them sat there, large lumps sticking out of the backs of their heads, and Bulma gripped her fist tightly at them. "Don't you ever, ever, EVER, do that to me again! Do you understand me?!"
All three of them nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Bulma dropped her fist to her side. "I was so worried that I had lost all of you...and poor Yajirobe..."
Trunks lowered his head in shame. "We know. We're...we're so sorry, Mom..."
Bulma sighed, plopping down into her chair. "I'm just...happy that you're all alive. Just please, please promise me that you'll calm down and just...not listen to the radio. I need you kids alive..."
The three of them watched as Bulma leaned her head back and began to shake. It was clear that she was trying to fight back tears. "Y-You kids are all I have left. And... not only that...I need you to go back in time. People would recognize me if I went back and, if we're going to do a full rewrite of all of this like I hope we are, I can't risk any time paradoxes..."
Bulma pressed her hand against her face, it was clear that she was just trying to avoid having a break down. But, as she did, she suddenly felt three bodies press up against her. She looked down, only to see all three of the injured kids hugging her tight. She was stunned for a moment, but then Bulma pulled them all in and hugged them all back.
Once that was done, and Bulma brought the three of them lunch, she went back to her lab to continue the Time Machine building process with the Pilaf Gang. And in her absence, the three kids were left alone to talk to one another.
Both of the boys watched as Ranch fidgeted with her new tooth. Trunks frowned. "Wh-Why do you keep poking it...doesn't it hurt?"
Ranch nodded. "Yeah."
As she continued to poke it, the other boy asked her a question. "Then why do you keep poking it?"
Ranch shrugged. "I dunno. Feels like it doesn't belong in my mouth, I guess..."
Soon, the room fell silent. And then, once Ranch stopped prodding at her new tooth, she stood and moved over to Trunks' bed. Trunks stared at Ranch as she sat there on the edge, her face glowing a bit red. He blushed as well, not knowing what to say. Eventually, Trunks found something akin to words. "I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry..."
Ranch was blunt. "You're a jerk and an idiot and I'll probably never forgive you for making think you died."
Trunks nodded, looking sheepish. "I know..."
He looked up. "I'm so-"
Ranch leaned over and, to the surprise of both of the boys, pressed her lips against Trunks'. All Trunks could do was sit there and stare at Ranch's closed eyes, having no idea what he should be doing in response to this. Ranch pulled back, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Don't ever do that to me again, Trunks. I can't lose you..."
And then, her head jerked and she glared at the other occupant in the room. "Or you!"
He flinched. "F-Fine! I won't risk my life like that again! Just, please, don't kiss me!"
A devious smile spread across Ranch's face. And then, to the boy's dismay, she launched herself across the room to his bed and began playfully pecking him across the forehead and sides of his face. He cried out. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Gross! Stop it! Trunks! Help!"
Trunks chuckled, watching as the two of them finished messing around and then happily welcoming Ranch back into his bed. She cuddled up close and wrapped her arm over his chest. Eventually, Trunks sighed and spoke of the sound of his partner grumbling from his bed. "You know, Ranch, we can't really promise that. We're Saiyans, after all, fighting is in our blood..."
Ranch sat up, looking annoyed. "I'm a Saiyan too, dammit! A Super Saiyan now! So, like...if you have to be stupid...at least wait for me to be stupid with you, okay?"
Trunks smiled at her. "I...I guess that works. But, if you're my...girlfriend...now, I don't think I could just stand by and watch you get hurt..."
Ranch grumbled, looking even more annoyed. Trunks chuckled and, sort of awkwardly, kissed her on the lips. The third wheel in the room, desperate for anything that didn't involve having to listen to his friend and his family suck face, began to think about the concept of Time Travel and how they would all be sent back in time if/when Bulma figured out how to make it work.
And then, something seemed to dawn on him. "G-Guys..."
Trunks and Ranch stopped kissing, Ranch turning to him. "Yes?"
He spoke in an almost hushed tone. "Miss Bulma is sending us back in time...you all know what that means, right...?"
Trunks sat up. "Wh-What...?"
The black-haired young man smiled. "That means...we get to meet our Dads for the first time..."
Back in the present...
Future Ranch smiled, lifting her head from her knees. "That is one nice thing that came out of all of this. Everyone used to tell me what a nice person my father was. I'm..."
She turned to Raditz. "I'm glad to see they weren't lying about you, Dad~"
Raditz felt a lump in his throat. "Ranch..."
Launch smiled and leaned against Raditz, laying her head on his chest as she cradled Baby Ranch. Future Ranch did the same, leaning against her father and hugging him tight. Raditz smiled, seemingly trying his best not to cry. "Y-Yeah..."
Launch turned her head to the boy sitting next to her. "And, of course, we can't discount our precious, yet-to-be-born son here~"
Future Daikon was staring intently at the slumbering Goku. But he responded kindly to Launch. "Y-Yeah. Thanks M-Mom..."
Launch reached down with her free hand and gently rubbed Future Daikon's back. Future Daikon sighed. "Another good thing is that we got him that vaccine that Miss Bulma produced. So, we've managed to save his life..."
Future Ranch nodded. "Nothing but success for once. Right Trunks?"
She turned to her boyfriend and Future Trunks looked lost in thought. He sullenly mumbled to himself. "We...got to meet our fathers..."
Raditz immediately read how Future Trunks was feeling and, in an attempt to cheer him up, quickly changed the mood. "So, what is this Time Machine that Bulma made anyway? We've never had a chance to see it."
Future Trunks sighed, pushing his thoughts into the back of his mind. "I mean...we could show it to you when we get to Kame House..."
Future Ranch nodded. "It's certainly striking looking, Dad. It's like a giant, yellow Easter egg!"
Future Daikon chuckled. "Miss Bulma said she designed it that way on purpose. Something about eggs containing hope for the future or something..."
Gine cocked her head. "Hope for the future, eh? How charming~"
Chi-Chi smiled warmly. "That sounds like a very Bulma thought."
Future Trunks sighed. "Y-Yeah...my mother believed in this project quite a bit. She even christened the Time Machine itself as the 'HOPE! 1'. She was so enthusiastic about this when we did it..."
Everyone in the ship nodded. Finally, Gohan spoke. "Well, thank you all for sharing your story with us. I hope it wasn't too hard."
Future Ranch shrugged. "It's not like it's not constantly on our minds. Being able to talk about it was actually kinda refreshing..."
Future Daikon chuckled. "Yeah. Grandma Gine was right~"
Gine beamed with pride at hearing her two grandkids praise her. Gohan cocked his head. "I just have one question though..."
Future Trunks glanced towards him. "Yes, Gohan?"
Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Most people seem to think it's weird that I have a surname. That my full name is Son Gohan. You know, because it went out of fashion a while ago to have more than one name..."
Future Trunks nodded. "Yeah. Normally only really well-off families or really long-lasting dynasties have surnames anymore..."
Gohan looked directly at Future Trunks. "But, according to your story...you have three names. A given name, a surname, and... a middle name?!"
Chi-Chi flinched. "That is a bit bizarre. Trunks V. Briefs...what does that 'V' stand for...?"
Future Trunks blushed hard, scratching his cheek. "I...uh..."
Future Ranch spoke up. "Wait...you've never told me that either. What does that 'V' stand for?!"
Future Daikon gasped. "H-Hey man! I'm your best friend! Why haven't you told me that?!"
Future Trunks was glowing redder than a tomato. "I, uh, you see..."
Gine pondered deep in thought for a moment. But then, remembering who gave birth to both Trunks's, she came to an immediate conclusion. "Does it stand for 'Vegeta'?"
Everyone fell silent. Gine cocked her head at Trunks. "Because that is a very Vegeta thing to do..."
Future Trunks was sweating hard. "W-Well...not exactly...but-"
Suddenly, a ringtone began to play and Future Trunks breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh, thank King Kai...I mean... someone's phone is ringing!"
Chi-Chi nodded. "Sorry everyone. I think that's me."
From the front controls, Krillin called out. "Who is it, Chi-Chi?"
Chi-Chi grumbled. "I...I don't know. I haven't figured out how to work this fancy, new-fangled piece of-"
She eventually answered it. "H-Hello?"
Chi-Chi's face brightened up. "Oh, hey Bulma!"
She smiled. "Oh, I'm fine. They're kicking up a storm though, whoever they are. Should be coming into the world any day now~"
Chi-Chi placed her hand on her pregnant stomach and nodded along as Bulma spoke. Eventually, Bulma got to the point. Chi-Chi listened intently and nodded. "Yes. All three of them are right here, helping watch over Goku."
The housewife cocked her head, looking a bit off-put. "I guess you can...I'm still not sure how everything on this phone works though."
Chi-Chi nodded along. "Right. Super easy to use. Yeah..."
Finally, Chi-Chi sighed. "Okay, send them. I'll get someone to help me figure it out...uh-huh...okay, bye..."
Chi-Chi hung up the phone and pointed to the Future Trio. "Bulma is texting me a picture she wants you to see."
The three of them seemed confused. Eventually, Chi-Chi's phone chimed and Gohan helped her find her texts. Once they got it pulled up, both mother and son looked genuinely confused at what they saw. Future Daikon was concerned. "Wh-What is it...?"
Chi-Chi turned her phone for everyone on the opposite side to see. A chill instantly ran down the Future Trio's spine. Raditz cocked his head. "A... yellow egg, covered in moss...? What...?"
The Future Trio were at a loss for words. They all got closer and stared at Chi-Chi's phone. Upon closer inspection, there was no mistake what they were looking at: the three of them appeared to be staring at a picture of their own Time Machine.
In the woods, just outside of Gingertown...
Several shotgun blasts rang out in the woods. The shrieking of a terrified man and the barking of his faithful hunting dog loudly echoed out for an audience of no one in the peaceful countryside to hear. And then, in an instant, it all fell silent.
The peaceful little township known as Gingertown sat blissfully unaware in the distance...as clomping footsteps echoed out through the peaceful countryside.
Proofreading: StevenBodner
