I awoke with a start, seeing only empty pale space in all directions and forgetting where I was for a moment.
As I pulled myself to a seated position, I recalled that I was still inside the Time Chamber. What I didn't recall was choosing an arbitrary spot out in the middle of nowhere to sleep, so the only logical conclusion was that I'd involuntarily passed out.
A month and a half in and this was the fourth time I'd done so.
That aside, I was making progress. I didn't have any more flashbacks, but that didn't mean I was able to control my strength right away. The main problem with the Ascended form was how much of my energy it burned if left untempered. When I'd first unlocked it, my capacity had taken a giant leap, and naturally having so much new energy thrust upon a person at once – without enough experience – made it difficult to wield.
To put it simply, even while in my right mind, the new form amplified my Saiyan instincts, and without mastery of my own increased ki... it was a double-edged sword.
When I had become a Super Saiyan for the very first time, it had been the same way, albeit on a far lesser degree. I had a theory that each successive transformation – if there were indeed more of them – would follow the same pattern of honing their users closer to an apex Saiyan, bringing out the nature engraved on our DNA.
Yet despite my inherited desire to fight for its own sake, I also remembered the other reasons and promises that drove me forward.
I'd had a lot of time to think things over, since I'd been in utter isolation throughout the endeavour. (I wasn't the type of person who enjoyed talking out loud to himself, so despite the eeriness of the dead quiet, the only noise was caused by my movement.)
But in my determination to grow stronger, I had a tendency to explore farther and farther away from the Chamber's centre, where I would exhaust myself training in my new form and occasionally pass out from overexertion. And there I would stay until I regained consciousness and dragged myself back to recuperate.
Like I had to do now.
My entire body hurt like a bitch, thanks to the heavy pressure the Chamber emitted the more distance out you went, paired with the muscle exhaustion that was self-induced. But I sure as hell wasn't going to stay here – sometimes, I thought I heard sounds coming from the void, and even though I knew I'd imagined them, if being sequestered away in an endless alternate dimension didn't make you paranoid I didn't know what would.
So I forced myself to get up and head in the direction of the least gravitational force, knowing it would lead me back to my temporary accommodations.
Though I had been steadily getting stronger and stronger, part of me felt like I was falling into stagnation – excluding the habitual profanities that occasionally slipped out, I hadn't said so much as a single word in two months. Any change at all would be good enough, because if boredom of routine didn't make me lose it, godsforsaken solitude would.
By the time I'd made it back to the building, I had made my decision. I continued on in towards where I knew the door to be, the one I hadn't touched or even looked at since coming into the Time Chamber.
When I reached the entryway, I was sure to take ahold of the doorknob gently, so as not to repeat the mistake I'd made in my bedroom at Capsule Corp. But the handle showed no signs of giving, so with a measured breath I gave a tug, pulling the door open partway.
However, I stayed where I was inside the threshold, though I could now sense the group of familiar energies outside, and everything beyond.
Gohan, I said telepathically, unsure how else to catch their attention.
Trunks? the man replied. Are you ready? Hold on, I'll get the others. We've been waiting here for you.
I didn't reply, opting to merely loiter by the door until my companions showed themselves.
It wasn't long before they did so, Goku being the first one to round the corner with a ridiculous smile on his face.
"Hiya!" he greeted as he stepped in, followed by Gohan who offered a more formal 'hello.'
I only nodded to both of them, certain that my voice would sound rusty if I didn't make some awful attempt to clear my throat first. However, a third face appeared at the entryway, also wearing a large smile.
"Trunks! How are you hanging in there without me?" Goten blurted.
It was odd to see a person so jovial when they'd just recently come back from the dead, but I wasn't complaining. It was a little odd, having him right there again like nothing had happened, but that dynamic was better than... well, anything else.
Still happy to see him, even if it was just for a minute, I tried to respond, only to have my voice break halfway through the first word and I stopped.
Goten paused, and then his expression took on the mischievous one so familiar to me.
"Dude," he said, "did your voice just crack? This must mean you've finally hit puberty!"
"Oh, fuck off, you're not funny," I muttered at him while he laughed at his own joke. "You're literally the first person I've spoken to in two months."
"Lighten up a little, and you might not be so easy to tease," he responded. "Anyway, I'm gonna be waiting at the lookout here until it's time for me to swap in. You get a little more time with my nerd brother instead of me. Isn't that right, Gohan?"
"I'm glad you're back too," the elder sibling replied. Goten offered a cheeky grin in return, and then waved us a goodbye.
"Don't hurt yourself until I get there, ladies!" he said, clicking the door shut behind him.
Now it was just Gohan, his father and I present. I was actually excited to start training with the two Saiyans. Not only would it boost my progress, it would give me a chance to measure up against two of the only other people I knew of that were anywhere near my strength.
Sometimes when I slept, I still had nightmares of memories I'd rather forget, but for the most part they stayed in the very back of my subconscious, permitting me peace whenever I closed my eyes.
They were closed now, but I wasn't asleep.
"Trunks, what on Earth are you doing?" Mom's voice drifted over, accompanied by her footsteps as she walked into the room.
Three.
I shook my head, staying quiet and putting a finger to my lips, indicating for her to do the same. I didn't hear her make any further noise, so I presumed she was waiting to stick around and answer her own question.
Two.
I knew my target was there, among the lab equipment above me as I moved into place, still crouching. I couldn't open my eyes – not yet, even though I was a target too. And I was the one with a hand all but literally tied behind my back.
One.
A miniature ki blast came down at me, prompting me to roll out of the way and hear it fizzle out as it struck the ground. Thinking quickly, I fired an equally harmless one of my own, sending it past the metal beams above where I expected it to strike my target.
Except it didn't. I heard it contact the ceiling and dissipate, and I furrowed my brows in confusion.
That's when I felt the next one hit my shoulder, hardly feeling the impact but understanding the significance.
I opened my eyes just in time for Bulla to tackle my chest and I let her knock me over.
"I win, I win tag!" she cheered.
"How can this be? I've been defeated!" I exclaimed over-dramatically, throwing my arm out as I lay on the floor and Bulla sat on my chest. "Mom, you'll have to go on without me – I was no match for the wiles of Princess Bulla!"
My sister thought my acting was hilarious, laughing away and gloating over her victory, even though I'd had my eyes closed and used only one hand the whole game. It was similar to one I'd played with Goten when we were kids.
"So this is how you're spending your so-called lunch break," Mom sighed, though she smiled as well. "Has the victorious Princess eaten hers yet?"
"Not yet," the little girl in question replied. "But I defeated Prince Trunks, so that means I get his kingdom and his lunch."
"Ugh. Your terms of surrender are merciless," I said.
"Come on, you two. If Trunks wants his ship to be done faster, he has to spend more time on it," Mom reminded as Bulla got off me.
"We're just about done it anyway," I replied as I got to my feet. "Besides, do you really want me gone faster?"
"Of course not. But by the way, I have a surprise for you – something I wanted to give you before you left, but I decided a little sooner wouldn't hurt."
I raised an eyebrow. "A surprise? Like what?"
"It won't be a surprise if I tell you. Now come on, Tarble and your grandparents are probably waiting for us."
I did as I was told, following my mother and little sister out of our chosen laboratory and through Capsule Corp, towards the kitchen.
While I ate more politely than the majority of Saiyans – I was a prince, after all – my habits were just within the boundary of acceptable by human standards. However, I didn't feel so odd about it when the only three pure humans in attendance were my grandparents and Mom, the latter of which had lived with Saiyans for years and had dropped a few proprieties of her own.
Then again, my uncle had royal blood too, so he and I (and Bulla) were hardly the worst group of Saiyans to eat with.
One would think that having Tarble and my mother both acting as parents for Bulla would be awkward or uncomfortable, even if just at first. In reality, it was surprisingly the opposite. Of course, Mom had been very emotional to see Bulla again, but the routine they'd fallen into over her was neither possessive on my uncle's part nor invasive on my mother's. The two actually got along well – perhaps it was because Tarble was like Father in some ways, and completely different in the rest.
Once we'd finished lunch, Mom took me outside, presumably to give me the surprise she'd hinted at earlier. I really had no clue as to what it would be, but since I was about to find out I tempered my curiosity.
"Any particular reason we had to go outside?" I asked.
"It's something that needs a little more room," she replied. Then, Mom stopped and reached into her pocket, pulling out what I first thought was a necklace of some sort.
Looking closer, the object that hung at the end of it wasn't a pendant – it was a capsule, slightly smaller than all the other ones I'd seen.
"No sense in having you lose it, so I attached a cord," Mom explained as she offered it over.
I took it, holding it up to inspect it. The capsule was blue and white, and unlabelled; the cord was metallic coloured and made from sturdy-looking box links, with a small clasp where the capsule attached to it.
"What's in it?" I asked.
"Open it and see," she said. "But don't throw it away from you like normal, unclip it from the strap and throw it upwards more so you can catch what's inside."
Nodding once, I wrapped the strap around one hand, giving a small tug and the capsule clicked off. I still couldn't guess what would be in it, but Mom had said it was something I could catch, so it wasn't a large object (then again, I could lift most things on Earth that were several times my size).
I pressed the button and tossed it up, watching it dissipate into a small puff of smoke. The object that fell out of it was narrow and longer than my arm and as I caught it, it clinked with the stop of motion.
"This..." I murmured as I grabbed the handle of the object, withdrawing it from the protective covering.
It was a sword, glinting in the sun with a faint black sheen.
The crossguard was a similar shape to the one on the weapon I'd formerly had, but this one was without etching. The scabbard was an obsidian colour, and so was the grip, but the rest of the steel including the blade was a dark silver. It was heavier than expected, but not enough to be a hindrance.
"It's carborite-alloy, the same thing I used to make Gohan's mechanical arm," Mom said. "Not a naturally occurring material here, so not easy to recreate nor to reforge, so though it'll stand up just fine in battle don't throw it into a comet or anything. And while it does have flexibility and strength, you've probably noticed it's heavier, and even with that aside it's still not quite the same as your last sword. The capsule is so you don't have to carry it on your back all the time."
I gawked at her. "How did you...? How were you able to make this?"
"You're asking how I used my IQ of two-hundred and seventy-three to make my son a weapon from Earth's middle ages? It's a secret," she said, winking. "Although, I'll admit I did have a little bit of help making sure it was forged properly. You have Gohan and his books to thank for that."
I didn't know what an IQ was, but I didn't really care that it went over my head as I stepped back and experimentally swung the blade, feeling the balance.
"It's perfect," I said. I would practice more later on, but for now I just wanted to stare at it, still not believing that I had my customary battle addition back. I hadn't expected this at all, having had the impression that natural Earth metals weren't strong enough for me. Leave it to someone like my mother to overcome that – I made a mental note to thank Gohan as well, the next time I saw him in person.
"This is... I can't believe you did this! I thought I'd never be able to have anything like my old one. You're the best, Mom!" I blurted, sheathing the sword and wrapping my arms around her.
"Anything to see that cute smile," she said as she withdrew, pinching my cheek.
"Mom, I'm too old for you to call me cute," I said. In fact, due to the time spent training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I was an adult now by human standards too.
"You're never too old if it's true," she teased, reaching up to mischievously tussle my short hair. "And who do you think gave you your good looks in the first place, huh?"
"Mom, seriously," I pleaded. "The shameless self-promotion of yours is enough. Don't you have some other child you can embarrassingly fawn over? I'm sure Bulla can handle my share, along with the copious amounts of attention she already gets."
"Oh, come on now. If you're going to be leaving soon, I need to make up for all the time I won't get to spend with you. Most teenage boys on Earth can't even hold a conversation with their mothers, so how lucky am I?"
"Yes, well, I'm not exactly a regular human boy, Mom." I wasn't a regular Saiyan either, even if I was their prince.
"That you are not," she agreed. "Although it wouldn't have been so bad if you were. There have been a lot of things in your life you could've done without."
"The same could probably be said for you, but I doubt you chose Father because you thought it would be easy."
She smiled wistfully. "Of course not. But I wouldn't really change anything – although if he thinks he's getting away with this stunt of his, he's got another thing coming. Try to knock some sense into that stubborn ass before you drag him back here, okay?"
"Will do," I said, smiling in return. "But I guess we should really finish up the ship first."
"Right," she agreed. "Now, let's see if I can't give Gohan a call. I know he wanted to help us finish too, and one extra brain around never hurt."
A/N: Carborite-alloy is a totally made-up material. I'm not an expert and I have no idea how alloys are named, so just roll with it.