A/N: The previous story will remain as a reference point for me. I won't delete the old story, but this will be the one being updated from now on. I will pull from ideas from the other story. Enjoy!
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The air was thinner here. A lot of electrical discharge, he surmised. He sniffed the air. He was not high in the sky. In fact, he was not that much higher than Sea level...So for there to be so little air here was unsettling in and of itself.
Vegeta stretched out his senses, feeling out for another source of energy in the area. Besides his own, he could only sense Kakarot's, who was apparently also searching. He could tell by the way the other Saiyan's senses branched out, alerting the Prince to his presence.
"Same for you, huh?" Goku questioned. He cinched his navy blue belt tighter around his own waist. He looked around in random directions and his iconic mute orange uniform billowed from the weak wind. Goku's eyes lookes wary. He could also feel the odd atmosphere here.
"Hm," Vegeta uttered, deigning not to comment. The two of them were not too far from Ginger Town. They'd decided to wait by the Highway, to see if they could catch even a glimmer of the strange energy that they'd picked up before. The energy itself wasn't cause for concern, but it's presence kept making the vicinity it touched feel...off.
Vegeta wondered initially if he was simply experiencing strange dreams...but it seemed like it was more to it than that.
It was three days earlier when he suspected something was off.
Well, less of suspecting, and more like events were happening that were illogical, insane, and just plain nuts.
He'd gotten up for the morning as he'd usually do. It was 5:30 AM when his alarm rang. It was a little device shaped much like his old scouter he'd used to wear a lifetime ago. His wife made it- It was charming, though he'd never admit that even to himself.
He pulled the covers off of himself and stretched his back, feeling the cracking like sensation of muscles loosening. Rotating his torso in a warm up stretch, he got a good view of the room. To his right was a large panoramic window with an admittedly good view of the front yard below and even the city's skyline. The room itself looked lived in but nowhere near messy. The only hint that he shared the room was his wardrobe of training jumpsuits, armor, and civillian clothes he sparingly wore, all hung up or folded in his and Bulma's shared closet. Besides that, any items lying around was his wife's, ranging from makeup to scattered devices she found herself working on, but not sparing time to visit the lab.
Done with his stretches, Vegeta made to step out before hesitating. Silently, he rearranged the covers he'd vacated, tucking Bulma into them. His wife seemed to snuggle more into them with a content sigh.
Vegeta exhaled shortly before heading towards the Gravity Chamber.
It'd been a while since he'd used it, since his training stint with Kakarot under Whis and then the Tournament of Power...
Vegeta grumbled to himself. It was a strange thought knowing Frieza was out there in space somewhere after recent events. He wondered if they would ever fight each other again. It unsettled him that there was no definite answer for that.
But whatever, nothing to be done about that now. Whis seemed to have no problem with reviving him, so no use wasting energy thinking about it...
He would check on Trunks and then Bra's crib and then train.
He walked the hall, idly observing some of the art portraits along the wall or the errant toy on the ground from Trunks' and Goten's sleepover.
He's traversed the building more times than he could count, so he knew each of the rooms by heart at this point.
As he opened the door to Trunk's bedroom door, that's when it happened.
It seemed as if a purple film flashed passed his eyes, much like when breaking the surface after swimming underwater.
Suddenly, Trunks' room looked vastly different.
When only seconds ago, he was looking at a room full of sports posters, tables covered with comic books and Hercule Collection Action figures, suddenly he was looking at a place he'd never seen before.
In place of the semi-messy room of toys and comic books, the room was suddenly much more spartan looking.
There was a vanity table (Something he would never allow Trunks to have in a million years), stacked with makeup supplies. Across from there, the closet was filled with exercise equipment. At least that made sense.
But the figure in the bed was a total stranger. And female.
"...The hell..." Vegeta muttered, his voice dying as he spoke. It sounded like someone else spoke simultaneously. He glanced around, briefly paranoid and neared the sleeping figure.
She looked like Bra, but older. Vegeta rubbed his eyes, and suddenly the whole scene was gone.
Trunks was snoring soundlessly in his bed as he should be, and the vanity table -thank God- was gone, replaced again by the comic books and action figures.
What the hell just happened..?
--
Vegeta exhaled irritably, forcing the memory out of his head. He would have crossed the experience off as something meaningless if it wasn't for the fact that he'd experienced this multiple times over the course of several days. He'd blink, and then suddenly, Trunks was replaced with Bra, as if she was his only child. On another day, he was suddenly living several moments in a day as the fused warrior, Vegito. And then on another occasion, he was suddenly female and Bulma was male before the episode ended as quickly as it began.
It was noteworthy that no one else seemed to be aware of these sudden changes in reality. Except Kakarot. The fact that he was also experiencing similar happenings confirmed that something was very wrong.
Which brought them here to this highway. They were waiting for something, they just didn't know what...or who.
Goku idly observed vehicles passing by on the road down below from the cliff face they acted as lookouts on.
"Earlier today, I checked in with Supreme Kai and Whis," He revealed.
Vegeta glanced sidelong at him, curiosity peaked. "Did they have any news?"
"Supreme Kai told me he was noticing 'fluctatuations in ley lines', whatever that means," he replied airily.
Vegeta remained silent.
"Whis told me that he thinks someone is manipulating time though," Goku added, his tone suddenly more serious. "He mentioned something about discussing it with a Supreme Kai of Time. Never heard of him before today."
Time? Vegeta looked down at the highway, briefly observing a 16-wheeler lumbering past. He'd already enough dealings with the concept of time travel after the Cell fiasco, let alone that Zamasu freak and his body stealing shenanigans.
Was there someone who could time travel through their own power? That would explain the weird energy spikes and the weird breaks in reality he kept experiencing.
Goku's aura suddenly burst to life as he ascended to Super Saiyan effortlessly.
Vegeta felt it too. That strange aura was approaching fast. Vegeta ascended himself, briefly toying with the idea of transforming to Super Saiyan God...No, it'd do no good to do that, not knowing who or what they were dealing with.
Vegeta's hair flashed to blonde in an instant, keeping his senses on edge for the slightest sudden movement.
Since their mastery with Ki control, ascending to the standard form of Super Saiyan was so effortless, like breathing.
The two of them waited, their eyes flashing to different locations, scanning.
The slightest change in air pressure could be felt glancing off Vegeta's armor, and he swung around, throwing a ball of energy from his right hand.
An aura had formed without a form inside of it, in the spot that Vegeta aimed his blast.
A person formed in it, just in time to collide with the ball of Ki.
"Ouch!"
Vegeta and Goku tensed into combat stances, arm's width apart.
The strange being rubbed his cheek, moreso in irritation than actual pain.
The man was definitely inhuman. Dark purple complexion, pointy ears, white hair.
"You're doing something to Earth's reality," Goku spoke up. "We're askin' you to stop that."
The inhuman man adjusted his glasses, seemingly ignoring the two Saiyans.
His hand relaxed, resting on what looked like a sheathed sword.
"Why would I do that?"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed. So he was one of those. He clenched his fist.
"Because if you don't, I'll make sure there's nothing left of you," Vegeta answered. "You're the cause of these breaks in reality, aren't you?"
The man simply shrugged. "Ah, you wouldn't understand, anyway...Vegeta," he sighed. "How did you intercept me here anyway?"
"So you know us?" Goku questioned, mirroring Vegeta's thought. No question, this person was dangerous.
"Anyway, we asked first," Goku retorted. The man rolled his eyes.
"Believe me, what I'm doing is for a good cause," he said, pointing to himself with a thumb. "Imagine if you went through a whole adventure after being turned into a kid. I'm doing you guys a favor."
As little sense as his explanation made, Goku and Vegeta remained silent. It was clear this guy wasn't going to stop what he was doing.
"I figured you guys wouldn't see my side of it, oh well." Although his hand remained on his sword's handle, he had yet to unsheathe it.
Goku and Vegeta glanced briefly at each other before nodding imperceptibly.
Goku charged forward first, fist outstretched. The stranger dodged effortlessly while raising his hand for an overhead chop. Goku used his momentum from his missed chop to kick outwards intercepting the stranger's strike.
Goku flipped forward and the two combatants landed on the grass.
"Look, I'm not really a fighter, so just let me collect the energy I was getting, and I'll be out of your hair!"
"I would," Goku answered. "But I'm sure Old Kai wouldn't agree with ya."
Goku's recent experiences with these "reality breaks" were reminescent of when he fought Goku Black. Time was definitely something that should not be played with. He didn't know all the science behind it, but he knew that much.
Goku tightened his fist, charging forward again, fist outstretched.
The stranger replicated his dodge from the first time. However, Goku switched up, suddenly thrusting an open palm forward with his alternate hand, catching the stranger off guard.
He was blown backwards, but the figure recovered nigh-instantly, dismounting with his hand then landing on his feet.
The inhuman smiled, tapping the handle of his sword.