Chapter 070 - The Start of a New Future

The sun was up above the city skyline beaming down brightly upon West City. As promised, everyone had shown up to see Trunks off and now stood around the time machine in one of the many outside gardens of Capsule Corp. Many were surprised to see Vegeta had joined them though the absence of Tenshinhan and Chaozu hadn't gone unnoticed. Tenshinhan had said his goodbyes to everyone yesterday upon the lookout. Everyone present had a black band around their arm in memory of Goku though they all knew the fallen Saiyan was amongst them in spirit.

"Good luck Trunks, take care, alright?" Bulma smiled as she shook her son's hand for the final time.

"Thank you guys for all your help," Trunks smiled back.

"Feel free to come visit us any time," Corset added, grabbing her brother in a hug, slightly anxious to see him leave but knowing he had to go back to his own time. "You're the best big brother I could have ever wanted! Don't you dare lose to those androids."

"Don't worry, once I beat the androids I'll come back to let you all know," Trunks added, placing his hands on his sister's shoulders before she pulled away and stepped back. Trunks looked around to all of those in attendance, many of which gave a small nod, finally spotting his father and exchanging a kind of salute with him. Corset smiled at the small display and took a couple more steps back, trying not to give in and cry. Although she knew he had to go and had told herself a million times, she was going to miss Trunks. He'd changed their lives for the better; without him they wouldn't have seen this threat coming and the future would have turned out so bleak... his future would have existed.

Trunks leapt into his time machine and quickly the engines fired up, the glass dome closing above him. The machine rose into the air.

"Bye, Trunks!"

"Good luck!"

"Beat those androids!"

The heat was stinging at her eyes; Corset began to wave and smiled, desperate to hold back her tears. "Bye Trunks! Look after Mama!"

Trunks waved at those down below.

Then he vanished.

The mid-summer sun was currently hiding behind a large group of clouds which slowly passed in from the West bringing in rain from the nearby ocean. The planet was slowly recovering from the small reign of terror that had been set upon them by the malicious Dr Gero. Now that evil had been destroyed though the popular belief was inaccurate. The initial celebrations had died down though Mr Satan's name was still creeping up everywhere; his dojo was gaining more and more recognition as was his achievements and the human was clearly lapping up the fame and fortune he did not truly deserve. Those who truly deserved it kept quiet and decided to enjoy the peace they had earned from their hard work, though some were now passing through life-changing choices. Tenshinhan had already made his decision to train in solitude, convinced he would never see the others again. Yamcha had given up fighting and seemed down in the dumps, possibly feeling completely outmatched by those he fought alongside of. Krillin also seemed to be passing up his chance to train though for different reasons.

Vegeta had been the most surprising one. He too had given up on training and now chose to lounge around the Capsule Corp building, occasionally disappearing for several days before returning with no resolve. Whatever had driven him to train before had long since vanished, he was but a shadow of his former self, quiet and distant. He barely showed up for dinner and when he did he simply took his meal to eat somewhere else.

Corset sat on the veranda of the Capsule Corp building by herself contemplating her own options. Ever since the fight with the androids and Cell she'd found herself at a loss of what to do. She had no reason to train but wasn't sure what else to do, what else was there to do in life besides train or go to school?

When the Saiyans were invading she was trained by Piccolo. Then straight after that she went to Namek. A year after the Namekian's left – and a year's worth of training and schooling – Freeza returned and Trunks appeared. The next three years were spent training for the androids her brother had warned them about. She'd spent the majority of her short life so far training and fighting villains and threats. As far as she knew, nothing else was expected to happen.

So why should she train? Rather, what was her excuse for training?

Her thoughts went back to the year between Namek and Trunks; the only time she'd been in such a similar situation to now. She'd just returned from Namek and they were in the process of wishing everyone back with the Namekian Dragonballs; it would take more than a year before Trunks and Freeza would arrive. She'd trained then to become stronger. Freeza had killed her on Namek and she didn't want to feel she was letting people down anymore. She trained in the hopes her father would consider training her; he'd always brush her off as a weakling.

Her father...

Corset glanced back at the entrance into the living room. Her dad was in the building somewhere moping about. Ever since Goku'd died he hadn't taken much of an interest in fighting; it was such a contrast to his character! Corset'd never known of a time her father hadn't trained.

She sighed and jumped over the edge of the balcony, landing safely on the grass below with all but a small sting in her feet which quickly passed. Perhaps she didn't need an urgent reason to train. Maybe training just to stay in shape and stay healthy was a good enough reason!

With that she began to stretch her muscles readying herself for some shadow boxing.

"Look, Trunks is walking again!" Bulma cried ecstatically.

Corset glanced away from her book and looked up. Indeed Trunks was stumbling across the ground slowly making his way over towards his mother. Corset slammed her book hurriedly on the table and rushed over, "Come on, Trunks." She encouraged alongside her mother. Both cooed and cheered as Trunks safely made it back to his mother's arms, Bulma raising him up into the air.

"Good work, Trunks. You're growing to be so big and strong!" Bulma beamed. "One day you'll be a Super Saiyan just like your daddy and sister!"

"I'll train you Trunks, since Dad definitely won't," Corset added. "You'll be just as strong as your future-self."

"I'm glad he managed to beat those androids in the end," Bulma said, her head turning towards the looming building behind them. "... I wonder how Vegeta's doing up there... He hasn't come out of that room in almost a week now. I haven't seen him training recently."

"He hasn't," Corset replied. "He's just been in that room."

"I guess Goku's death really got to him," Bulma frowned, "or at least Chichi pointed that out to me. I think she's right. Whatever passion your father had for fighting seems to be long gone…"

Corset agreed with a nod. She wasn't sure what was going on in that head of his but she hoped he'd turn back to normal soon... as much as normal Vegeta was a pain for everyone else!

"Oh by the way, since you're no longer training to fight off any future threats, I think you ought to consider getting your education back on track," Bulma suggested, her nonchalant expression quickly turning to a sterner glance as her daughter pulled a face of despair. "Don't give me that look."

Corset was staring wide eyed and shaking her head, "I can't go back to that school! Mama, people will wonder where I've been for the past three years."

"Don't worry, I wasn't gonna suggest going back there," Bulma giggled. "The company supplies children of the workers with a specialist school just for them; I was thinking you just go to that. It's not that far from here. You'll be in the last year of elementary school then moving onto middle school next April."

"... Alright..." Corset sighed disheartened. She knew well enough not to even challenge her mother at this moment; it was law after all that she should go to school and she had no reason not to go anymore. At the very least she could rest in the knowledge that things were indeed returning to normal.

With that she wandered back indoors to grab herself a drink, returning her book to her shelf before resuming towards the kitchen. As she passed through the door she could hear breathing from the living room. From the feel of it her father was in the living room, for whatever reason he'd decided to leave his usual spot and lounge around lost in thought. Curiosity got the better of her and Corset peered through the archway leading into the living room. The Saiyan stood at the other end of the room glancing out the window, hands in the pockets of his human-style clothes.

Her staring hadn't gone unnoticed. Vegeta took a small glance over his shoulder sending a wave of shock and embarrassment through Corset, hurriedly she hid behind the wall of the kitchen wondering if he'd spotted her. Of course he had! Without another word she resumed grabbing a drink, not daring to look back into the living room to see if her father was still there.

The cool and calm air lightly brushed against her cheek causing a wayward hair to itch her skin. Irritated, Corset brushed her hair behind her ears, already struggling to concentrate on her homework. She caught a quick glance of the boy standing nearby and frowned. Indeed it appeared Gohan still seemed bothered by it. Corset looked over from her homework as he walked past her and sat himself down on the steps leading to the palace. Both had decided to get away from home and do their work at Kami's place – or Dende's place as it was now known to them. She'd been stuck on the same question for the last five minutes although it wasn't because she didn't know how to solve it, she was too preoccupied observing her friend.

Dende had mentioned hearing from Kaio that Goku had competed in an Otherworld Tournament. The mere mention of his father seemed to be pushing down on the boy like a heavy burden. Was he still blaming himself for Goku's death?

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gohan had caught her looking over to him! "Do you need some help?"

"Huh? Oh! No, I don't think I do..." Corset quickly glanced down to her work and read the question, realising she'd read it about ten times now! "D-Do you have much more to do?"

"No, just a couple more books Mother wants me to go through," Gohan answered indifferent to the amount of work he had to complete.

"A couple...? Gohan, I only have two pieces of homework to do for tomorrow." Corset giggled. "Your mama really makes you work hard."

"I guess so but I don't mind," Gohan nodded, "So how's school going anyway? Are the kids scared of you yet?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Corset pouted slightly offended, though it quickly occurred to her Gohan was not referring to her temper but her status as heir to the Capsule Corp empire! "...It's not as bad as I thought it would be; some of the kids there are a little snobby though. Everyone seems to wanna talk to me... I guess it's because I'm the heir to the Capsule Corp so they wanna make friends with me. Some of them are nice but some are a little weird."

"Wow, it must be nice to know so many people wanna be your friend," Gohan smiled.

"Yeah, the attention is nice but I'd rather people made friends with me because they like me, not because I'm my mama's daughter..." Corset frowned. "... I don't feel like I'm doing something fun though. School is nice but it feels like I'm missing something..."

"I guess I know what you mean," Gohan nodded thoughtfully. "It feels strange not to be training with anyone. It's been so long since we haven't had to train for some kind of threat. The Earth is actually at peace..."

"Yeah," Corset nodded. The small glimmer had not gone unnoticed by her as Gohan spoke of peace. "... Your father would be proud of you."

Gohan frowned and gave a small nod. "... I wish he hadn't had to die."

"Don't we all wish that when someone passes away?" Corset asked rhetorically. "At least you know he's enjoying himself in Otherworld. He left Earth up to you because he knew you could do it."

"Yeah but he died because of my arrogance..." Gohan responded. "... I don't know if I could ever forgive myself for this, especially with mother in a fragile state."

"... Is she still upset?" Corset asked concerned. She hadn't been aware much of Chichi's actions past her husband's death and had assumed she'd pass through a period of mourning her husband's death before moving on. She'd done it once before, surely she could make it through again?

"Well she doesn't seem to cry as much but that's not what I meant," Gohan responded, a small smile emerging on his face which was bizarre considering the conversation they were having! "She's actually expecting."

Corset's jaw dropped, her hand relaxing so much that the pen she held onto fell to the floor. "... Your mother's pregnant? Wow, you're gonna be a brother!" The joy was quickly erased and she became more empathetic. "Oh no! Oh gosh, your father's not gonna be around... Poor baby and Chichi..."

"It's ok," Gohan spoke. "Mother and I have Grandpa, we'll make it through somehow. We're thinking of it like this; it's as if the baby is gonna take dad's place in the family - well not as the man of the house but in spirit. It's strange I know but it keeps us feeling better about it."

"... I guess..." Corset contemplated the thought. As long as it worked for them then who cared how strange it sounded? "Gosh... You're gonna be a big brother. Things are gonna change a lot in your house! Hey, maybe when they're slightly older we could hang out together and our siblings could do the same. Wouldn't it be crazy if they two of them were as good as friends as we are?"

"That would be pretty cool," Gohan giggled. "So how's Trunks? Your little brother I mean."

"He's walking and trying to talk," Corset replied. "Still pretty noisy at night but he's getting better I guess. When he's old enough I'm gonna start training him up to be just as cool as other Trunks!"

"He was pretty cool," Gohan nodded. "If it wasn't for him we'd all be doomed! We certainly wouldn't be in the position we're in now..."

"I hope he managed to defeat the androids," Corset muttered.

When she arrived back home, Corset headed down the hallways towards her room, as she always did. She still had to complete another set of homework that wasn't as urgent as that she'd completed earlier but it did give her something to do. However she hadn't been prepared for what was about to take place. Turning the final corner to the sleeping quarters she bumped into her father.

"Hi Dad, you getting food?" She asked. That's all he'd ever been doing if she'd caught him out of the room he'd been shutting himself into.

The man stopped, blocking her way. Was he being deliberately difficult or was he not aware of where she was travelling to? "... Can I get past please? I need to put my school work away," Corset asked politely, a little confused as to what he was up to.

Vegeta stared at her for a brief moment before glancing on ahead past her, a strange look of thought on his face. "Meet me in the gravity chamber in ten minutes. Your training starts then."

Corset's jaw dropped. For what felt like forever she stood unable to process a single thought through her brain until finally it hit her. Had she heard that right? Her father wanted her to train... train with him? The one thing she'd been constantly trying to seek over the past four years, the one thing she'd always been denied to the point where she'd finally given up looking for. It was happening.

She struggled to hold back her joy and instead nodded her head, "R-Right!" She spoke enthusiastically, allowed to pass her father and rushing down the hallway to her room. The door was thrown open as she tossed her rucksack to one side and hurriedly got changed into her training outfit; a pair of three-quarter length sweats with a purple vest top with the Capsule Corp logo placed on the right side of her torso.

When she was ready, Corset made her way to the gravity chamber, a relatively new room her grandfather and mother had designed for Vegeta during his training about a month before Cell's arrival, though Vegeta had not used it much at all prior to the fight with the androids. It was a room Corset'd never dared to venture near to let alone into. As far as she was concerned it was her father's room; she was convinced if she'd ever dared to go into it she'd have probably have been killed by the violent Saiyan.

The corridors soon led her to the room, Vegeta leaning against the wall next to the door impatiently waiting for his daughter to appear. Corset finally stopped about half a meter from her father, daring not to stand any closer. Her mind was racing with questions, mainly asking why. Why had he suddenly chosen to train her after all this time? What was he possibly getting out of this now that she... Corset thought for a moment, certain she knew the answer. Of course, she was now a Super Saiyan. A small pinch of disappointment hit her and some enthusiasm left her. Was it all for personal gain or was it because she now seemed to be of use?

Without a word, Vegeta turned and started to jab at a few buttons on a small panel next to the door, which had reacted to the movement and had started to open. "In," He ordered.

Corset did as she was told and stepped into the room. To her surprise there was no sudden change in gravity, there was no alteration in oxygen and heat as had been seen in the Room of Spirit and Time. The room was windowless, white panels covering the entire room save for the door. There was another small panel on the inside of the room almost in the same spot as the one outside. She took the time to glance around even as her father walked in after her, closing the door and pressing some more buttons upon the panel.

Suddenly the pressure increased. Corset could feel her body starting to be pushed down towards her feet as if something was trying to force her to fall flat on her face. Instinct kicked in and she altered her posture in an attempt to keep balance. "How heavy is this gravity?" She asked, slightly shocked to see her father still standing straight and unhindered.

"This is twenty times normal gravity," Vegeta answered. "You will stay at this level until you can stand properly."

'I can stand properly...' Corset mused to herself, straightening up her back. It hadn't been that the gravity was overwhelming her, only that she hadn't been expecting it to suddenly increase. Indeed it did feel heavier than the gravity of the chamber upon Kami's lookout but at least she could breathe. Still she couldn't accept her thoughts on him training her. It was rather insulting to say the least.

"If you don't mind me asking," Corset started, "Why are you training me? You never had any interest in it before when I asked you, so why now?"

"What does it matter," Vegeta responded, "You wanted me to train you so I am."

"That's your reason; you're training me because I asked you to?" Corset repeated. "I asked you three years ago and you took no interest. Why the sudden change in attitude? This... this isn't like you."

Vegeta rolled his eyes before wandering back to the panel and pressing a single button several times before another. Corset felt the gravity increase further and could start to feel the strain on her body. It wasn't painful but it was uncomfortable and once again she had to adjust her footing. This time she found she wasn't able to stand up straight and instead was forced to stand hunched over which only put more pressure on her neck.

"That's forty times," Vegeta responded. "Once you can stand, do something else to push yourself. You may be under my training but that does not mean I will be teaching you anything. I work alone." And with that he strolled over to one end of the room and started to warm up.

Irked by his lack of an answer, Corset attempted to stand properly. Still no luck and it seemed to be forcing more pressure onto her head and neck. Something drastic had to be done. Without another word Corset started to power up, quickly transforming into a Super Saiyan. The sudden relief on her muscles startled even her; she couldn't believe how loose she suddenly felt! "Wow, that really does make a difference..." She mused impressed.

"... Still not as powerful as Gohan, are you?"

Corset raised an eyebrow and glanced over towards her father who'd momentarily stopped his stretches. "... Is that what this is about? Being stronger than Gohan? Why?"

Vegeta once again ignored her questions which was now starting to grate on his nerves. He strode back to the panel and jabbed another few buttons. The gravity increased further, the small screen indicating it was now at fifty times normal gravity, though he still did not budge under the pressure. He'd become far more accustomed to higher bouts of gravity, daring to venture as far as five hundred times on one occasion. Fifty was nothing to him.

It was noticeable in Corset's stature. She could feel her muscles starting to ache slightly under the gravity but could still stand straight.

"Walk," Vegeta ordered.

"Why?" Corset asked.

"Must you question everything?" Vegeta grunted. "Stop asking questions and just walk!"

Corset muttered something under her breath and started to walk, though it felt and looked nothing like it should normally have! She could feel her muscles reacting with every stride she made, the gravity making it harder for her to move and control her legs; it looked more of a waddle than a stride but she managed it. "This isn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"Good, now lose the transformation and try," Vegeta instructed.

"Why would I want to do that?" Corset asked wryly. She'd started to struggle with standing under forty times normal gravity so she didn't really want to know how much of an issue fifty times gravity would cause her.

"That form may provide you with a calm state of mind and body but it also provides you with an enormous well of power," Vegeta explained. "Kakarrot trained you, his brat and himself in that form to conserve energy, am I correct? Right now you have the power of a Super Saiyan racing through your body giving you strength which you clearly do not have in your regular state. Train under the same amount of gravity in a weaker state and you'll find eventually your power will grow to far greater heights. Transform down and train properly."

Corset had to admit it made sense and was surprised at her father's logical thinking. It was a shame this line of thought hadn't come to him during his own fight with Cell! Nervously she lost the transformation. Immediately she felt the pressure push down on her, this time almost succeeding in flattening her to the floor! She braced herself, standing rather bent over, hands clasping to her knees in an attempt to support her upper half. Her muscles were starting to scream at her to find somewhere to rest, the strain starting to get to them and yet it had only been a couple of seconds! It wasn't just her muscles, her breathing had also been affected by the gravity, now she didn't have enough oxygen and found her breathing starting to increase. Defiantly she looked back to her father, "Now what?"

"Train. Grow stronger than Gohan," Vegeta responded. "Then maybe one day you'll get to fight with me. I won't take on weaklings and you still have a lot to learn, even with your new power."

"I thought you knew by now but I'm not a weakling," Corset grunted under the pressure. "I didn't see you taking on five of those little Cells!"

"And I didn't see you beating them all effortlessly!" Vegeta retaliated with a slight hint of venom in his voice. Had she just unintentionally struck a nerve? Corset had to be more cautious with her choice of words. She was pleased to finally be in this position being trained by her father and she didn't want to blow it. Sure it had been long overdue and she also had other things to focus on such as school but Corset was relieved to be given a reason to train once more. She would train in order to spend more time with her father. She didn't really care about growing stronger than Gohan and didn't understand why her father seemed so focused on it but she was happy to spend her time learning more from her dad.

"Once you can stand, train and move around or something. Just don't bother me."

"Right."