"Gohan, where can we find your parents?" Raditz asked his grandson.
"I don't know," he replied, thinking. "Whenever we did see them, they didn't tell us what they were up to. But you can try asking granny Launch. She might be able to help."
Raditz nodded. "Good idea."
Suddenly a hand tightly gripped his shoulder from behind. "Listen up, big guy," blonde Launch said in a dangerous voice, "when you see future me don't forget that you already have me waiting back here. Got it?"
He nervously blurted out, "Yes, dear!"
Vegeta was standing nearby and began laughing at Raditz, when Bulma glared at him from above in the cockpit of the time machine, and said to him, "The same goes for you, only I'll be there to keep an eye out."
Tensing up, Vegeta said, "Whatever, we're just going for a fight. Speaking of which, are we ready to go yet?"
"Yeah, yeah." As they spoke she was activating the time machine.
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late!" present Gohan called out, touching down by them. Looking around, he asked, "Where's dad?"
"Beerus summoned your father for some reason," Raditz informed him. "But no matter, we aren't going to delay our departure by waiting for him."
When the time machine began to whir to life, Bulma told Vegeta and Raditz to get in. When they hopped in it proved to be a very tight fit, especially for Raditz's bulky frame. When the hatch closed and they rose into the air, everyone on the ground waved them goodbye and wished them luck. The time machine went higher and higher, eventually blinking out of sight, and reappeared in a different reality.
Before they knew it the scenery before them changed from bright and lush to dark and desolate. The buildings of West City that still stood were nothing more than empty husks. The time machine descended, and after it touched down Bulma opened the hatch. When she, Vegeta, and Raditz disembarked, Bulma pressed the button to shrink the vessel down to a capsule. Just as they were about to leave for Launch's house, someone called out to them.
"You!" a voice cried. The looked over to see a soldier peeking out over some rubble as he waved them over. "Over here! Don't you know it's dangerous to be out in the open like that?"
"Oh look! Maybe he can help," said Bulma brightly, walking over to him.
"What about Launch?" Raditz grumbled in her wake.
"I'm sure we'll see her eventually," she said.
Stepping out to get a better look at them, the solider snapped, "What's wrong with—?" He stopped upon properly seeing her. "What the—? Miss Bulma? Is that you? But you look different."
Thinking quickly, Bulma began blurting out, "Oh, um…I'm obviously not Bulma! I'm…her sister—Tights!" That lie seemed simpler than explaining that they were from a different timeline.
"I see," the soldier said, looking her up and down. "That explains the resemblance."
"Yeah," she continued. "Bulma asked me to find back up to take on Black, and here they are!"
The solider nodded with approval. "That's great; I heard we might be getting reinforcements! We need all the help we can get."
"So would you happen to know where Trunks is?"
"Sure do," he said enthusiastically. "Right this way." The solider led the three of them into the ruins of a building, and down some stairs into a tunnel beneath the city. As they walked along they passed all sorts of hungry and disheveled people that stared at them. At one point the soldier asked, "So, we've been fighting this guy for a while now. Where have you been all this time?"
"None of your business," Vegeta told him harshly.
Flinching, he replied, "Okay. Sorry."
They were led through a couple of security checkpoints. After they were waved through they stopped outside of a heavy metal door. "In here." The soldier opened it for them, they walked in, and the door was closed behind them. There they were. Trunks and Ranch were asleep on a worn out couch in each other's arms.
Hitching up a big smile, Bulma strutted up to them and patted them on their shoulders. The two stirred and looked up at her, at first confused by her appearance.
"Mom?"
"Bulma?"
It then clicked.
"Mom!"
"Bulma!"
Trunks and Ranch immediately hugged her together. "It's good to see you guys again," Bulma told them happily. "Despite the circumstances, that is. Your kids are fine, by the way."
The two looked up at who she came with. "Dad!" they both cried. Ranch immediately went to hug Raditz, while Trunks held back and simply ran up to Vegeta.
"I missed you, dad," Ranch said.
"Same here, sweetheart," replied Raditz.
"Wow, you guys actually came to help!" Trunks said joyously.
"Well, what did you expect us to do after sending your children to plead for our aide?" Vegeta said gruffly.
Ranch let go of her father, and went over to Vegeta with a snarky grin on her face. "Aww, is all it took? When did you turn into such softie?" she asked. All of a sudden she bent down to give him a hug. "I'm actually glad to see you."
Vegeta actually blushed and blustered, "What in the—? Get off of me!"
When he pushed her off, Ranch just chuckled, saying, "I guess you're still the same stubborn bastard."
"I didn't travel through time for affection," Vegeta yelled, still flustered. "I came to take on Black. That's all!"
They got serious upon hearing those words. "I don't know how much Gohan and Bulla told you, but don't take him lightly," Ranch warned. "This guy is really strong. You need to see—"
"We did see," Raditz told her. "He had something called a time ring that allowed him to follow the time machine through a portal it created."
"Oh man!" exclaimed Trunks. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"No," said Vegeta. "Kakarot managed to fend him off until he was pulled back through."
Ranch and Trunks looked at each other in surprise and then back at their fathers.
"Um…isn't Uncle Goku dead?"
"He was," explained Raditz. "But he ended up being brought back some years ago."
"Oh. In any case we should use the fact that you got a feel for the bastard to our advantage," Ranch reasoned as she thought. "We should come up with a battle plan."
At that Vegeta let off a bark of laughter. "Who needs a plan? I'll be taking Black out myself!"
"Wha—! Quit being stupid!" Ranch shouted at him. "Shouldn't have you guys learned your lesson after we took on Cell?"
Vegeta scoffed. "That's ancient history. You two aren't the only ones who have gotten stronger since then."
Trunks asked carefully, "Can we at least talk about this?"
"I understand what you're trying to say, but trust me its better this way," Raditz told them. Despite training together the previous day, it was clear that if he and Vegeta tried teaming up it'd be a disaster.
Vegeta suddenly turned to leave. "No point in putting this off. Where's Black?"
"He's out there somewhere," said Ranch with a heavy sigh of reluctance. "It probably won't take much to get his attention."
Vegeta grinned. "In that case all I should have to do is power up. Let's go, Bulma. Once I transform you can run and take cover."
As they walked out, Trunks said, "Wait, mom should stay out of the way."
"She will once your father transforms," Raditz assured Trunks, as they made their way back through the tunnel.
"Why does she need to be there for him to transform?" asked a puzzled Ranch.
Raditz sighed. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."
Shrugging, she replied, "If you say so."
Before they left the tunnel, Bulma took a capsule out of her pocket and tossed it produce a venerable feast for all the hungry people they had passed earlier.
As she waved to the grateful people, Bulma asked, "So where's future me?"
"At my mom's place," Ranch answered. "After your lab was blown up, we thought it was best to send you somewhere out of the way."
"I guess that makes sense."
When the five were back topside Bulma took out another capsule, this one containing the wave generator. Bulma turned the machine on, and the beams hit Vegeta, triggering his transformation. The shocked expressions on Trunks and Ranch became more and more pronounced as Vegeta kept on changing, his power skyrocketing in the process.
Once Vegeta stood before them in his form, Ranch blurted out, "Holy crap!"
"Good luck!" Bulma quickly said, climbing out of the generator, pressing the button to shrink it down, and running away to find cover.
"So, how do you like Super Saiyan 4?" Vegeta boasted.
Trunks quizzically said, "4? Does that means there's a 3?"
"Damn!" Ranch cried with excitement, as she turned to her father. "Dad, can you do that, too?"
"No," he answered seriously, his arms crossed. "Kakarot and I achieved a different kind of power."
Vegeta took to the sky, firing an energy beam in the process to draw in Goku Black. Grinning broadly, Ranch said as she took off after Vegeta, "Well, if that power of yours is anything like Vegeta's we should be able to take that bastard out no problem."
They didn't have to fly long before Goku Black appeared before them.
"Ranch, Trunks," Raditz started, as Vegeta and Black began to stare each other down. "If anything happens to us I want you two to get Bulma and escape to the past. Be with your children."
"Huh?" Ranch said in absolute shock. She angrily told him, "Dad, we aren't about to abandon you guys and rest of the family!"
"I'm sure your mothers and Chi-Chi would understand," he pressed.
Trunks began, "No but—"
He was cut off as Black spoke. "And here I thought that I destroyed the time machine. Is that you, Vegeta? That's an interesting new form, but it won't do you any good." Black looked at each of them, and asked, "So where's Goku? He's the one I want a rematch with."
"Kakarot was predisposed," Vegeta replied, grinning menacingly. "But know now that it's going to be Super Saiyan 4 that takes you down."
"I see," said Black. Then he suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of Vegeta. "You may have gotten stronger but you're still only a mortal."
Vegeta leapt back, furious that he had been able to get so close so quickly, surmising that he must have gotten stronger somehow. But convinced of Super Saiyan 4's superiority, Vegeta charged back in and punched Black, who blocked with his arms as he was blown back. Vegeta then began to unleash a barrage of attacks on Black, trying to get break his defense.
"He called Vegeta a mortal," Raditz said out loud in thought, looking at the fight. "Maybe we shouldn't rule out that Black's identity truly is Zamasu."
"Zama-who?" asked Ranch.
"I'll explain later. Right now—"
Raditz stopped talking to watch as Vegeta managed to drive Black into the ground and began to violently pummel him. Perhaps, Raditz figured, Vegeta was deriving a great amount of enjoyment out of beating on his brother's lookalike. Vegeta violently kept up his onslaught, creating a crater around them in the process. But all of a sudden Vegeta felt something and immediately backed off, and he watched as Black simply walked out of the crater towards him.
After dusting himself off, Black lunged forward and kicked Vegeta in the gut, sending him crashing backwards into some rubble. Raditz, Ranch, and Trunks landed nearby but didn't interfere, as Vegeta stood back up.
"You did well for a mortal," said Black. "So let me show you something special as a reward."
The four looked on in surprise as Black began to power up. He began emitting a dark aura, the wind began kicking up, and even from far away Bulma was able to tell that something was very wrong. With a roar a surge of energy escaped Black, and to their astonishment Black stood there even more powerful with his hair now a pink color.
"Is this not a wonderful color?" asked Black. "I'm not sure what to call this yet, but I'm sure that it will come to me. All that matter is that I've made Goku's power my own!"
"Don't you start rambling on about Kakarot! Our fight isn't over!" shouted Vegeta, shooting back up at Black and throwing a punch.
He missed when Black dodged, and Black countered, but to his astonishment Vegeta managed to catch his fist. Vegeta then began to repeatedly punch Black before attempting to deliver one last blow. But Black only smirked as in his hand he produced a blade that went straight through his chest.
"You…bastard," Vegeta managed to get out. Black pulled the blade out, and Vegeta went crashing down to the ground as he powered down to his base form.