"Whoa, you feel that?" Goku said.

Beside him, Gohan gasped. He never thought such a power could ever exist and yet, he could feel the immense energy signature, even from Other World. He felt the evil radiating within the energy and he clenched his fists in frustration and helplessness. Once again, his pupil was alone in facing a terrifying threat and there was nothing Gohan could do but sit around in death and hope that Trunks could find a way to vanquish this evil.

"Hang in there, Trunks. You can do this."

-X-

18 reached the outskirts of West City, conflicting thoughts racing through her head. She'd spent two days on an unknown island, coming to terms with the loss of her brother and trying to figure out her place in the world now. She was not a hero, not a saviour of the planet, despite what Trunks and 16 intended to do with her.

She was a killer, a murderess and she enjoyed it. It was in her nature and that couldn't be changed.

She was here to prove it.

Hovering above the city, 18 prepared a ki blast in her hand and aimed it at the populated streets. All she had to do was release the energy and hundreds would die instantly.

All she had to do was release the energy…

Hell flashed through 18's mind, the cries of her victims echoing in her memories. So many victims, all at once and it was amazing that 18 hadn't gone insane. All the carnage she had wrought and lives she devastated: it'd been for nothing. Killing used to be fun and a game, but 18 simply couldn't bring herself to fire the blast.

She wanted to kill, more than anything and she couldn't do it. What was wrong with her? Did her time running from Cell have that huge of an effect on her? 18 couldn't see the point, not that she ever needed a reason to kill, but Hell appeared to have a lingering affect and her experience was not something she wanted to go through again. She couldn't do that again, couldn't spend eternity tormented by the cries of her victims. She couldn't fire, couldn't muster the will, could not –

18 snarled in frustration and cancelled the blast. She was furious with herself. Apparently, two days of grieving and trying to figure out who she was amounted to nothing. Who was she if she couldn't bring herself to kill the measly humans like she used to? Who was she if she was not the scourge of the human race?

18 sighed in utter annoyance, took note of her ragged clothes, remembered that Trunks lied about taking her shopping and decided to do it herself. Landing on the streets, 18 ignored the screams of the civilians and they fled for their lives, but she couldn't care less. Back in the day, her and 17 used to play games on how many they could kill under a certain time and always tried to outdo each other.

Good times. No point in doing it anymore without her brother by her side.

Walking into an empty clothing shop, 18 felt content at the emptiness of the place, because it meant she could browse in peace. After selecting a few clothes, she decided to try them on and took her time. A combination of a white T-shirt, black vest, green pants, mustard socks and black sandals had her approval and just as she slipped on a pair of black gloves and a bracelet, 18 noticed a qipao.

She loved qipaos and always snagged several whenever she could find them. 18 picked it up and an explosion erupted in the background. She rolled her eyes. No doubt Trunks was in the city and found himself some trouble. She didn't care, shrugged her shoulders and opted to try on the qipao.

Trunks blasted through the shop, tumbled over the racks and came to a stop at her feet.

"18?" he cried in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?" 18 demanded. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Oh, here's the pretty pretty."

18 froze and turned towards Broly. She noted his hair looked so sharp that you could spear an apple with it and the arcs of electricity sparking around him. His grin was wide and malicious; intensely unnerved, 18 looked at Trunks as he stood up beside her.

"I thought he was dead," she snapped at him.

"I thought so too, but I guess we were wrong. He's a lot stronger than before. I need your help."

18 scoffed and walked away. "You're on your own. Have fun."

Trunks tried to protest, but he was struck by an Eraser Cannon and blasted out of the shop and 18 gasped when Broly suddenly appeared before her, his massive nine-foot frame dwarfing her lithe figure. She hadn't even sensed his movement.

"Where are you going?" Broly grinned. "Stay."

He reached for her and 18 pulled a face and swatted his hand aside. Bad idea. He snarled and drove an Eraser Cannon against her body and she cried out as she was blasted out onto the street. She took out a fire hydrant and slammed against the opposite ship, the tattered qipao still in her hand.

"Damn it, I liked that design and I didn't even get to try it on," 18 growled.

Broly bounded out of the clothing shop like an overpowered dog and she blasted him. Unaffected, he hit her with a clothesline and they passed through several buildings and vehicles until they came to a stop inside another building. 18 quivered in pain and she feared for her life, his power absolutely terrifying. She didn't enjoy fighting him the first time and here she already felt the need to tap out in round two. Broly lifted her up and with a single kick, he launched 18 through the roof and out into the sky. She stopped herself and watched in horror as Broly flew at her, laughing madly, but a Finish Buster slammed into the monster.

Broly roared in fury and fired off several Eraser Cannons in rapid succession and Trunks was forced to dart and dive, explosions erupting around him. Caught in the middle of one, Trunks was struck by Broly and sent cartwheeling through the air. 18 surveyed the carnage brought about by the battle, a scene not dissimilar to what 17 and her used to leave behind in their games. The sight made her feel a little sick to her stomach and she wondered how much of an effect Hell had on her soul, because she wanted to revel in the destruction like she used to, but again, couldn't bring herself to do it.

She could not bring herself to enjoy the mindless carnage and it frustrated her.

"You know what? This is not my fight. I have no need to be involved. Nice knowing you, Trunks."

Broly could do what she failed to do: kill Trunks. Of course, that left her with the problem of Broly, who seemed to have a creepy fixation with her and as much as she detested him, she hated Trunks more. The lavender-haired punk wanted to complain about her ruining his life? What about her life that he ruined, even destroyed? She was stuck here, all alone and with no purpose.

Screw Trunks.

-X-

Trunks yelped when Broly's fist crushed his chest and he spiralled into the side of a building. His pants were ripped, his vest and shirt were virtually non-existent and he was in too much pain. Broly cackled as he held a tiny ball of ki to Trunks' stomach and released it. Trunks was blasted through the building, which crumbled to join the casualty ranks and Trunks hit the road hard. It hurt to breathe, even hurt to move and he hadn't felt this much pain before, not even after his hopeless battles against the Androids. He was truly outmatched, but he forced himself to his feet, determined to do his best. Broly wasn't anywhere in sight and Trunks started to panic, unable to sense the beast.

"Come on, Broly, where are you?"

The ground trembled and Broly burst up from the road behind him. Trunks narrowly darted out of reach and cupped his hands to the side. "Galick Gun!"

Unleashed at full power, the Galick Gun crashed into Broly with intense ferocity and the massive Saiyan waded through the beam like it was nothing. Trunks trembled, fearing that his efforts were futile, that the battle was a lost cause for him. Broly laughed off the attack, grabbed Trunks by the hair and landed an uppercut that blasted the young hybrid through the air like a pinball.

How much longer was Broly going to toy with him until he dealt the final blow?

Trunks fired off a rapid Burning Attack and while Broly dodged it, the hybrid blasted forth and put all his power into a powerful kick that actually managed to fire the monster into a building. West City had been turned into a warzone from the battle and Trunks knew he needed to end the fight before any more innocents were hurt or killed. The damage done was incredible and the casualty ranks was increasing. In a way, it was like the Androids all over again, but worse.

He dropped to the ground and stuck his hands out to the side, gathering energy as he prepared the Final Flash. His body ached and he had to end this fight, right here, right now, once and for all. Broly slowly rose to his towering height and he grinned at Trunks. The Legendary Super Saiyan moved at lightning speed and although the Final Flash wasn't fully charged, Trunks fired it anyway.

Broly leapt over it, landed behind Trunks, grabbed his arms and drove his knee into the hybrid's back. Trunks yelled as Broly dug his knee deeper, trying to break him in half. His spine was forced to bend unnaturally past its limit and the pain meshed with his aching body, making it scream in pure agony.

Broly laughed sadistically as he kept the pressure on Trunks' body and he enjoyed the screams that Trunks made. He wanted to see how far he could push the hybrid's limit and then break him.

Helpless, Trunks tried to fight back, tried to somehow relieve the pain, but Broly dug his knee in and the pain screamed once more and escaped his mouth, mingling with Broly's insane cackle. He'd been in pain like this before; he focused on his failures with the Androids, Trunks shoved the pain aside, his rage taking over and he flared his aura. Broly frowned and he withdrew his knee, ready to deliver a spine-snapping blow and Trunks used all his strength to wrench Broly's arms forth and he flipped over to smash his knee into the beast's face. Broly stumbled, touched his face and felt blood.

"You. You'll pay for that!"

-X-

Explosions erupted, buildings collapsed and screams echoed in the distance as 18 walked the ruined streets in a detached state. Long ago, she'd be at the centre of the action, causing the wide-spread destruction, but for some reason, she couldn't enjoy it now like she used to. She wanted to take part and add to the excitement, but the impact of Hell and her cruelty wore heavily on her soul.

What was the point of destroying if she could no longer savour it?

Another explosion. Trunks could die, she figured, and she didn't care if he did. But that left her with the problem of Broly. He was powerful, too powerful for her to deal with and 18 knew something had to be done. The world would end up getting destroyed and she didn't want that to happen. She quite liked the world; it was just the stupid humans and their annoying protector she hated. She wasn't like Trunks and she would never fight to protect the world, but Broly was a threat that had to be dealt with and the only one who could do that was Trunks.

It was frustrating 18 just how much she seemed to rely on him lately. Damn him to Hell. She hated that she now had to have conflicted thoughts instead of doing what she wanted without consideration or care, like she used to. Hell had a way of changing people; she just didn't see any positives to come out of her experience, unless her hatred of Trunks counted.

"Hello," she murmured, coming across a familiar object. "What do we have here?"

-X-

Broly dropped knees first, and Trunks screamed when his ribs were crushed beneath the behemoth's weight as he was used as a trampoline. His body twitched and spasmed on its own accord from the agony that wrapped him like a suffocating cocoon and Broly grabbed his leg and smashed him like a ragdoll against the road several times. Trunks whimpered, wishing for the pain to end, wishing for the one-sided fight to be over, and Broly cackled.

"Ready for death, Princess Trunks?" the Legendary Super Saiyan sneered. "No escaping now."

The monster rose into the sky, a tiny ki ball in hand, the start of the Gigantic Meteor. He was going to obliterate Trunks, destroy Earth and go in search of another planet to pulverise. He believed that with his power, there was no one in the entire universe who could stop him and he laughed as he saw Trunks shakily stand.

"Pathetic. A complete and utter waste of Saiyan blood," Broly derided. "Say hello to your royal trash for me."

"Not going to let you win," Trunks groaned, his body protesting against his intent. "I have to stop you. I have to!"

He shouted as he summoned the last of his power, his energy surrounding him. Broly scoffed and dropped the Gigantic Meteor. It expanded rapidly as it descended upon Trunks and he retaliated with his Heat Dome Attack. The two energies collided, the sheer power ripping up the landscape around them, devastating the city. Trunks shouted as he pushed against the Gigantic Meteor, but Broly laughed and flexed his power and the Gigantic Meteor bore down with such ferocity that Trunks was forced to his knees.

"No, no, no! I can't lose! I can't fail everyone!" Trunks thought desperately. "I need help!"

The ground gave way and the hybrid sank underground, his Heat Dome Attack swallowed by the Gigantic Meteor as it buried him beneath the ruins of the city. Trunks struggled to fight back, but his energy was spent and Broly's attack bore down upon his shoulders, threatening to devour him.

"No, please, anyone, please!"

West City was under threat of complete annihilation and Broly laughed, enjoying the pathetic struggle of his prey. So focused on Trunks' destruction, he didn't notice 18 slowly rise up behind him, Trunks' sword in her hand. Unable to sense her, he didn't realise the threat until too late: she plunged the sword into his back, the exit wound where he'd been initially stabbed as a baby. Broly gasped in a spray of green blood and he looked at 18, unable to believe he'd fallen to such a cheap shot.

"Pretty pretty?" Broly babbled in shock and 18 ripped the sword away and he gurgled on his blood.

Realising that the Gigantic Meteor wasn't as heavy as before, Trunks shouted and re-engaged the Heat Dome Attack, blasting the massive energy sphere back to its owner. Stunned by 18's sneak attack, Broly realised his predicament too late and the Heat Dome Attack and Gigantic Meteor slammed into him, driving him through the atmosphere and into outer space. There, the two energies combined into a massive explosion that obliterated Broly for good and he screamed until the end, his essence hurled across the cosmos.

The sky lit up in brilliant colours, the force of the detonation shaking the planet. Exhausted, Trunks dropped into his base form and collapsed in the crater that was virtually half of West City. Wearily, he glanced up when 18 appeared in front of him, his bloodied sword in her hand.

"He's weak. Now's my chance," 18 thought and she raised her hand at Trunks, gathering energy.