Trunks yawned as he slowly roused from sleep only to find something or rather someone pressed against him. He immediately froze expecting to find an almost nude cyborg against him only to blink in confusion as he spied the blonde still asleep on the other side of the bed. He peered down at the lump next to him, before pulling the cover back slightly to reveal a mess of black hair.
He tilted his head to the side as a small chuckle escaped his lips. The figure twitched, before peering up with sleepy eyes at the Half-Saiyan. She offered a toothy grin. "Hiya! I'm Pan. It's nice to meet you!" she said quietly, before letting out a big yawn.
Trunks smiled back at the small girl. "It's nice to meet you too Pan. My name is..."
"Trunks? right?" the little girl guessed as she flopped forward planting her face in a pillow, before turning to look at the Half-Saiyan.
The blonde that lay next to them still slept soundly.
"Heh I guess you heard about me already then?" Trunks mused.
"Uh Huh! Mama B and Zuli told me that you were really close with my daddy! I never got to meet him.." she said as a sad smile spread across her tiny face.
Trunks reached out and rested a hand on the girl's head, before smiling. "Yeah your daddy and I were practically brothers. I could tell you all about him if you want Pan?"
The girl's eyes widened. "Really?! Please I want to know. My Mama never liked to talk about daddy. She said it was too painful to talk about." she said as she hung her head slightly.
A frown pulled at Trunk's features. 'So young to have already lost so much.' he thought to himself.
"You can ask me anything Pan, but we should probably talk outside." he said in a softer tone amazed that the blonde next to them still hadn't stirred.
Pan giggled. "You don't have to worry about Zuli! She sleeps like a rock watch!" she exclaimed as she inched forward and extended her index finger to poke at the cyborg's cheek.
Trunks watched amused as all of the sudden the blonde's arm shot out and grabbed the small girl, before flipping her over as her eyes shot open as she rolled up and began to mercecislly tickle Pan. "What was that little one?" Lazuli asked with a smirk as her fingers continued to cause the small girl to giggle histerically.
"N-Nothing...Trunks help me!" the demi-saiyan squeaked out between laughter.
Trunks cracked a smile as he folded his arms. "Not a chance.."
The small girl huffed between hysteric giggles. "You're no fun! and ok ok you win I'm sorry!" She managed, before Lazuli finally ceased the torture as she rolled over and grabbed at a tanktop, before pulling it over her head.
"I can smell something cooking. Huh I usually don't get up this early." the blonde mused as she threw her legs over the side of the bed.
Trunks eyed the clock in the room. "It's almost ten thirty already. It's not that early."
Pan crawled across the bed, before grinning wildly. "Zuli usually doesn't get up till after noon. "
Trunks snorted slightly, before earning a look from the blonde in question.
"What? I'm not a morning person." she grumbled as she strode forward towards an adjacent dresser "Unless you plan to check the bathroom for Cell I'll be getting freshened up and changed."
Trunks rolled his eyes. "I somehow doubt Cell's best strategy would involve him waiting in the bathroom till you showed. I guess it's a good sign I haven't felt or seen any sign of him so far. I guess we'll see you at breakfast." he said as the blonde collected an armful of clothes.
The blonde glanced over her shoulder as she settled her gaze on Pan. "Oh I won't be alone regardless. My little hero can join me. Just because you're a quarter monkey doesn't mean you should smell like one. Now come on Panny."
The little girl stuck her tongue out, but obliged as she hopped off the bed, before waving back a Trunks.
"Seeya later Trunks!" she exclaimed with a toothy grin earning a small smile from the young man as he returned the gesture, before letting out a deep breath.
'Hopefully today won't be quite as eventful as yesterday.' he mused to himself as he adjusted the simple shirt he was wearing as he left the room and made his way towards the kitchen.
Once inside he could see his mother leaning over the stove a moment, before turning to greet him with a smile as she heard his footsetps.
"Morning hon! " she exclaimed happily.
"Morning Mom. You seem to be in a good mood." he mused as he leaned against the counter.
"And why shouldn't I be? Things are finally starting to fall into place. The Android threat is likely over, and in a short amount of time we'll be able to start getting things back to normal. Gosh do you know how many years it's been since we've been able to do something as simple as go for a drive or to the movies without having to worry about being maimed or worse?"
Trunks allowed a small smile. "Yeah it would definitely be a first for me mom. I hope you're right."
The older woman nodded. "Me too son. You seem to be in a better mood yourself then yesterday. Any reason?"
The Half-Saiyan shrugged. "I don't know. It's going to be awkward for a while between Eighteen and me. I really do want to believe that she's turned over a new leaf and is trying to make ammends for what happened in the past. It's just going to take a while before I'm completely comfortable with the idea. " he paused a second before continuing. "She really is good with Pan though. Can't imagine the guilt she must feel being around her and remembering what she did to Gohan." he said quietly as his expression soured slightly.
The memory of his Master's death flooded back for a moment, before he shook his head. 'What's done is done. I'm tired of constantly looking in the past, maybe mom is right we need to start focusing on the future. Though I still can't help but wonder what father and the others would think about one of the cyborgs that killed them now living with us.' his thought was interrupted by his mother's voice.
"Well you did seem like you were in a better mood." The older woman mused, before sighing.
"Sorry just a lot on my mind mom, I was curious though. Aren't Gohan's mother and grandfather still alive? Do they even know about Pan being here."
Bulma frowned. "To be honest I'm not really sure how close Gohan was with Chi-Chi before he died. The poor woman was a wreck after Goku died and when Gohan kept insisting on fighting a losing battle time and time again it only served to cause more tension between the two. I think Gohan moved away from their old home a couple of years, before he died. Chi-Chi may not even know Gohan had a daughter. I'll never forget having to tell her about Gohan's death." she said quietly, before shaking her head.
"I can't even imagine. Though it may do her some good to know she has a granddaughter. You know it may give her something to live for." Trunks mused as he tried to find some way to improve the topic.
Bulma smiled. "Yeah I've thought that over the last couple of months, but to be honest I wasn't sure what kind of state Chi-Chi would be in. Perhaps a bigger issue was finding a way to contact her. Most of the global communication is shut down and flying was too dangerous in the past few months. If it turns out Cell really is gone for good we can make sure that Chi-Chi gets to meet her Granddaughter."
Trunks nodded as he scratched the back of his neck. "Which reminds me...Has Lazuli been training Pan ? I think she mentioned something about it"
"Yeah Pan usually stays glued to her hip, so a few months ago Lazuli started working with her on some basics from what she told me. It's sad that a four year old can fly and I'm still grounded without a plane. " she chuckled.
Trunks grinned. "Well mom it's never too late."
The scientist rolled her eyes. "I was just joking mostly. If I die I'd like to do so while planted firmly on the ground. As I was saying though, I rebuilt a training chamber your father used. The two have been using it quite frequently. Lazuli alone can spend days in there." she mused.
Trunks blinked. "But why I thought the Androids couldn't get any stronger, I thought that they just maintained unlimited energy."
"Well hun your wrong on both accounts, for one from what I've observed since Lazuli is part human still she can still grow stronger, the reason why she and her brother never really got any stronger in the past is because the two of them never trained. They were never challenged enough to do so. Now she doesn't improve as quickly as a Saiyan would after battle, but she can go much longer without stopping to make up for it. Though unlimited energy isn't true either. You've seen her. She sleeps just like us. She likes to sleep in out of choice, but in reality she requires less sleep then you or I, but she still requires rest and she can get tired."
Trunks processed all of this before responding. "So how much stronger would you say she's gotten in the time I've been gone?"
Bulma waved her hands frantically. "Heck I don't know to gauge energy like that. Even if I had a scouter that could, it would probably short circuit. I'm just telling you what I've observed from working on her and the conversations we've had."
"Working on her?" Trunks questioned as he raised an eyebrow.
Bulma nodded. "Yeah I made a few improvements on her cybernetics which has helped her grow a great deal stronger. She mentioned a few weeks ago that with her new strength she was nearly twice as strong as before."
Trunk's eyes widened. "Really? That is a substantial increase. Anything else I should know?" he asked his brow furrowing. He was slightly troubled with the idea of Eighteen being so much stronger. If what his mother said was true she was likely as strong as the other timeline's Eighteen if not a bit stronger. Though she still wasn't a threat to his strength, he wasn't yet comfortable knowing she could continue to grow stronger.
"Oh...I found a bomb while I was doing a diagnostic of her and removed it. You know...just to be safe." she mused.
The Half-Saiyan nodded recalling the wish that had been made in the other timeline to remove the same bomb.
"Don't worry so much son. I'm sure you've seen it in the short time you've been around her. She's different. Besides even if all this Android mess is finally over, we'll need all the help we can get. For some reason this planet attacts trouble."
Trunks relaxed his shoulders slightly, before sighing. "I know...I-I...it's strange I think I believe she really has changed, but I can't help wondering what the others would think of me giving her a second chance ? Gohan...Father...and all the others she helped kill. Even if I can let go of all of that what would they think of me ?"
Bulma offered a small smile as she settled her hands on her hips. "Well your father would never approve, but he was a stubborn ass. Gohan had become a lot different in the years battling the androids, but his mentor was someone that his father had spared years beforehand. As for your father if it weren't for Goku's mercy you wouldn't exist right now. Losing Goku was like losing the heart of the planet. He knew better then anyone that sometimes you can't redeem everyone, but he also knew when to show mercy to his opponents. I'm not saying you should be soft Trunks, this planet needs you to be strong, but just remember most people have some good in them no matter how small it may be."
Trunks chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind Mom. Wish there were more of us left. Seeing all the Z-warriors together made me realize just how vulnerable we are. If something worse then Cell shows up the Earth's fate rests on a single half-saiyan, a cyborg, and a Demi-Saiyan child. " he mused as he folded his arms as he thought about the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly he'd faced in the past. 'The timeline is different. It's possible he could be dead, but if he's still alive out there somewhere...there's no way I could fight him. For that matter Bojack and his entire crew would prove too much for us right now. I need to get stronger...and I need to find more warriors.'
"Don't hurt yourself big guy..." a voice broke his thought process as Eighteen and Pan walked into the kitchen. The blonde had a hint of a smirk on her face while Pan rocked back and forth on her feet with a small smile on her face.
Trunks grumbled slightly as he shot the blonde a look, before he pushed away from the counter as he made his way over to the nearby table, before sitting down. "You know I was thinking after this trip to Namek we should see about looking for some more warriors."
Bulma sighed as she returned to finishing breakfast while Eighteen shrugged her shoulders.
"What's the point? If Cell is gone what could honestly pose a threat to this planet? I mean this Frieza your mother told me about was suppose to be like the strongest warrior in the galaxy and to me he's nothing more than an insect. What could possibly pose a challenge for you?" she asked.
Trunks couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride from her comment, but he quickly shook it off. "Well in the past timeline I encountered beings other than Cell that were stronger than I am. I have no idea if their even alive in this tmeline, much less if they'd ever come to Earth, but the point stands that I couldn't beat them with my current power. We need to look for more allies and I need to continue my training." he mused as he crossed his arms.
Eighteen frowned. "Well we can at least work on the training part while your mother is working on the ship. "
"We? You want to train with me?" he asked surprised.
"What you think just because of your new power that I can't put up a fight?" she quirked a brow.
"You may be several times stronger than me, but you won't be able to keep going as long as I can. "
"That's based on the assumption that I don't beat you before I tire out." he said with a cocky grin.
"I'll enjoy putting you on your as-..butt." she amended as she glanced over at Pan who was completley oblivious to the conversation as her charcoal eyes were fixiated on the food Bulma was preparing.
"Fine fine, but don't expect me to plug you into the wall to charge when you run out of juice." Trunks smirked as he leaned forward.
The blonde brushed a few hairs out of her face, before mouthing a very unladylike series of words at the Saiyan.
"Huh guess that profanity filter broke, should have mom check that too." He mused with a chuckle.
The Blonde leaned forward too with an amused smile. "Bite me.." she said in a low voice.
"Ahem...you two can pick up your flirting after you eat for now shut it." Bulma said with a sickly sweet smile as she sat two plates in front of the pair, before moving to do the same for Pan.
Trunks flushed as he sat back, before he grabbed at his fork deciding it would be wiser to fill his mouth rather than speak again.
The Blonde merely chuckled at the Half-Saiyan's reaction, before she picked up a piece of toast and bit into it. Though far less pronounced there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks as well, though if it asked about it she would deny it vehemently.
As the household continued their meal things fell silent for a time, before Pan spoke up as she looked between Trunks and Eighteen.
"Does this mean I can come train today too?"
Before Trunks or Eighteen could respond Bulma spoke up.
"Sweetie I could actually use your help today. Why don't you help me in the garage and you can join Trunks and Lazuli tomorrow ?" Bulma suggested.
Pan huffed as she crossed her arms. "I can fight too! "
Trunks laughed. "Pan we'll definitely start training tomorrow! Lazuli and I are going all out today to see where we stand. We just don't want you to get hurt."
"What Trunks is saying is...he doesn't want anyone to see how badly I'm going to beat him." The blonde said with a smirk as she leaned over and ruffled Pan's hair.
"Really?" The small girl asked as she looked from Lazuli and back to Trunks.
"No dear Lazuli is just teasing, but you really should listen to Trunks."
"Fine..." The small girl relented with a pout.
Trunks glanced around the small gravity chamber. "Impressive.." he mused.
"Your mother is something else. If only Doctor Gero had used his own knowledge for something positive..." the cyborg mused quietly as she strode over towards the computer across the room.
Trunks was quiet a moment, before responding. "Do you and Pan use this chamber often?"
"Yes but I use a much lower setting while she's inside. She has a great deal of power for her age, but she lacks any formal training. "
Trunk's eyes widened. "That reminds me...why didn't Cell find this place sooner, surely if Pan was training here he would have sensed her powerlevel and investigate."
The blonde glanced over her shoulder with a small smile. "You can thank your mother for that. She created a power damper of sorts on this chamber. You could be standing directly outside and as long as the door is sealed you wouldn't be able to sense anyone inside."
The half-Saiyan blinked. "Huh I wonder how she managed that..."
Lazuli shrugged. "Not really interested in the science of it. Just the results. Now are you ready to start or not?"
The Half-Saiyan's expression became serious as he nodded his head. "Of course."
The blonde Smirked as she adjusted something on the computer, before pressing a button. Immediately the room was cast in a red glow a few seconds passed as suddenly everything began to grow heavier even the air seemed thicker and it became harder to breathe.
Trunks was quickly forced to his knees as the force beared down upon him catching him offguard.
Lazuli on the otherhand stood across from him looking impassive.
Trunks gritted his teeth. "Just how much gravity is this?"
The blonde smiled. "At the moment...550 times Earth's normal gravity. You see you might be alot stronger than me, but I don't have to power up to be able to withstand these conditions. I wonder how long your power will be able to hold out ?"
Trunk's returned her smile as he clenched his fists as a his frame vibrated a moment, before a golden aura enveloped him igniting his hair ablaze as his eyes turned a vibrant green tint. He let out a relieved sigh as he threw a series of quick punches and kicks through the air, before regarding the cyborg once more. "Since you're so curious...let's make this fun. Winner get's to demand anything from the loser."
The blonde smirked as she tucked a hair behind her ear. "As nice as that sounds, I'm not an idiot. I know you're holding back a lot of power."
"You're right. So as part of the agreement I won't use anything above my normal super saiyan state. Sound fair to you?"
The blonde appraised him momentarily, before slowly sliding into a fighting stance. "Sure Trunks just remember you're the one who made this deal."
"Oh I won't forget.." he mused as he tensed a moment, before launching forward at the cyborg. He threw a punch at her chest only for the blonde to weave to the side at the last moment and respond with a palm to his chest that sent him flying backwards. He landed on his feet, before seeing her hurtling towards him. He brought up his knee blocking her leg midstrike causing an explosion of energy that sent both fighters flying back.
Eighteen landed gracefully while Trunks landed on his back before rolling to his feet.
A few minutes quickly turned into a couple of hours as the pair continued to trade blow for blow. Despite Trunk's advantage in strength the blonde for some reason was holding her own and even seemed to have the edge.
The Half-Saiyan's eyes widened. 'This makes no sense. I know even as a Super Saiyan I should be stronger then her...so why do I feel like she has the advantage?'
"You don't get it do you?""
"What?" Trunks asked as he stared at the blonde exasperated and confused.
Lazuli's straightened her posture. "It's all about numbers. Even if you're not using that bulky form of yours...you weigh what 200 pounds or so ? maybe more with all the muscule? Where as I weigh almost half of that. With all this gravity bearing down on you it's only multiplying the force on your body. Fact is because you're bigger than me...you have more force bearing down upon you. It factors in a lot with a fight." she mused as she held out her hand before forming a purple Ki blast. "Dodge this big guy...Infinity Bullet" she yelled as a purple beam erupted out of her hand and rocketed towards the Half Saiyan .
Trunks batted the beam away only to catch an elbow to the face which sent him hurtling backwards. The blonde continued after him as she cocked her fist back, however Trunks recovered faster than she expected. Trunks felt himself taken over by instinct as all he saw was red as the Android who'd terrorized him closed in, he held out his palm firing a powerful KI blast at point blank range that illuminated the entire chamber. No sooner had he fired the attack he felt himself snap to his senses and felt a sense of horror overtake him.
As the flash receeded he made out the form of the blonde that lay across the room motionless. He felt a sense of dread overtake him as he bolted across the room, before dropping to his knees. "Oh God Eighteen. " he breathed as he reached out and lightly shook her by her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry. It was an accident...I just reacted. " he said in a ragged voice as he stared down at her still battered form.
"Please Lazuli open your eyes. I don't want to kill you anymore. I could use your help saving this planet...please open your eyes and I swear this will never happen again." he said as his entire frame began to shake.
What happened next caught the Half-Saiyan offguard. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain as he was thrown onto his back and found himself pinned there, above him he saw the the blonde cyborg staring down at him with a look of curosity and amusement."
"I think we're even now." she mused as she eyed him intently.
"Y-you're alright?" he half asked half stated.
"Of course...though you did go a bit over board. If I hadn't braced myself at the last moment..." she let the implication linger a moment, before continuing.
"I figured I'd punish you for that, but I didn't expect you to get so mushy." she smirked.
The Half-Saiyan grunted feeling foolish and embarassed. "I thought I'd killed you and as strange as it sounds coming from me now...that's not what I want." he mumbled.
"Like I said we're even now. I don't think we'll have that issue again, but there is one thing you should know."
"What's that?" he asked as he eyed her hands that were holding his shoulders down.
"I Won..." she mused with a mischievous grin.