Do you believe in destiny? Can it be rewritten, or is it always fated to be? I asked my mother these questions before. She was never really the type to indulge in believing this concept of a predetermined end besides death. And to be honest, I never thought it was possible back then…not until it became possible.
My world was devastated by a pair of monstrous cyborgs the year after I was born (Age 767). They had slain the last remaining warriors that could defend the Earth. My father, a prince from an extinct alien warrior race, was one of them. As I grew up during the cyborgs' rampage, brave human souls that refused to be slaughtered decided to take a stand. And so, the population formed a resistance in collaboration with the remnants of Earth's military forces. My mother supported them using the little supplies we had as the head of the former financial giant, Capsule Corp.
When I was old enough, I met a man who became my mentor in the ways of the warrior. And, over time, he grew to be my best friend, a brother even. Through his lessons, my mentor taught me to believe in myself, and my strength. To have the courage to stand for what's right.
But one day, the cyborgs attacked. And then, I lost him too.
I foolishly tried to avenge him as soon as I got the chance, as any angry person would for their fallen loved one. Even with a new power that I was honing for three years, I was trounced by them both and left defeated. Hopeless.
But one day, I walked into my mother's lab, and she asked me those same questions from before. My answers vividly mirrored her original response. She shook her head at me, smiled, and guided me to her latest project.
However, what she had shown me changed everything.
With her time machine, I traveled twenty years into the past (Age 764) to save one of the Earth's greatest warriors from falling early and warn him of the dangers that I face back home. When I left the past, there was a spark of hope that lit in me. That maybe fate can be altered. But when I came back to my time, it remained the same. That's when I realized that my mother and I were wrong about the workings of time and time travel. We were merely a future and not their future. Still, I traveled back to that altered past to prevent one timeline from being destroyed. And despite the disastrous ripple effects my going through time has caused, I eventually succeeded in my mission. When I left the timeline that I changed and came home stronger than ever before, I made sure that my master was avenged properly. As promised to my mother and my fallen master, I protected the world from any incoming threats under the Earth's Special Forces that the old Resistance would later transition into. And thanks to our efforts, we managed to slowly rebuild the world as we knew it to be and make it greater. For a time, we were truly at peace.
Little did I or my mother know that in our quest to do the impossible to save two timelines, our actions had dire consequences beyond our understanding.
My name is Trunks Briefs, and this is my story.
Capsule Corporation, West City, Age 790
The future looked bright on the planet Earth. Vegetation managed to return to the world as soon as lesser plants, rainfall, and sunlight brought plant life from the edge of total extinction. From plant life expanding upon the whole planet, the animal population that seemingly disappeared came out of hiding and began reproducing to increase the numbers of their species. The population that lived in the countryside capitalized on the newly grown vegetation and began utilizing their agricultural skills as farmers.
Construction was slow but steady. A bunch of huts and family-owned businesses had been built within a year into the time of peace. Larger companies took longer to return from the brink of collapse, having to reinvest their funding into the Global Resistance, which then became the new united military force known as Earth's Special Forces.
One of the first mainline companies to return was the world-famous Capsule Corporation.
Three years have passed since the Bio-Android Cell of this timeline had been destroyed, and six months since Majin Buu was prevented from being released upon Babidi and Dabura's demise.
And the one who was responsible for saving the Earth and giving the people hope for a better future had descended from the sky and landed on the lawn of the newly reconstructed Capsule Corporation building.
This happened to be a young lavender-haired man who was roughly 24 years old but looked at least two years older. He had a bowl cut with two small bangs hanging from the fringe of his head over the bridge of his nose. The blue-eyed man light tan-skinned wore a periwinkle-colored jacket that reaches his waist with the logo of Earth's Special Forces (a shield with the planet at the center on it) on the right sleeve while the Capsule Corp logo was on the left, a long red scarf around his neck, dark gray pants, and pale-green boots with black tips. Underneath his jacket, the man had on an olive-green shirt with patches on the shoulders and forearms, reminiscent of British military standard-issue jumpers. With him, he carried a broadsword that hung on his back and over his right shoulder in a red sheath with a blue strap.
This was Trunks Briefs, hero of Earth and Lieutenant Commander of West City's branch of Earth's Special Forces.
When he walked up to the entrance, two guards noticed who was approaching their direction.
"Hey, look who it is!" CC Guard one said with a grin. "It's Mr. Pride and Joy himself."
Trunks waved at the two male guards, saying, "Greetings."
"Trunks! Welcome back! I see that the Commander let you get off early. How have you been these days, kid?" The second CC Guard asked, who seemed to be a little younger than his co-worker but still older than Trunks.
Trunks chuckled modestly while pulling out his necklace tag with his identification card from his jacket, stating, "Thanks for asking. I've been doing well. CMDR Videl let me off early. It's a good thing, too. I've got a video conference to attend with my mother."
"Well, we wouldn't want to keep Ms. Briefs waiting. You've got clearance, kid." The first CC Guard allowed the two of them to move away for Trunks to enter the building.
"Thanks again, guys. Keep up the good work." The Saiyan Hybrid said as he put up his ID tag and entered his home.
Entering the dome building, Trunks had been greeted by various staff and visitors. Some were old war comrades, others ordinary civilians aiding in resource drives. A group of women, both young and mature, swooned over his handsome appearance when he passed them to which would shyly blush as waved at them.
'I don't think I can ever get used to all of this attention. It's been six months since the wizard and his demon minion were dealt and everyone's still praising me on the ground I walk on. I know that I struck them, Cell, and the cyborgs down, and I'm grateful for the acknowledgment. But we all played a part in protecting our home. In a way, we're all heroes.' Trunks thought to himself.
Eventually, the war hero would reach the main computer room and access it using the red key card that his mother gave him.
When Trunks entered the computer room, he came across a pale-skinned woman typing on the main computer while running what seemed to be a video program. She had long blue hair that reached her back which was tied into a single ponytail. Her irises matched the color of her hair, and she managed to retain her youthful look despite being in her late fifties.
This was Bulma Briefs, head of the Capsule Corporation and the mother of Trunks.
"Mother, I'm back!" Trunks cried out, albeit in an inside voice.
"Oh, Trunks! You're just in time, sweetheart!" Bulma chirped as she clicked on the mouse pad several times. "I'm setting up the meeting real soon. Feel free to grab a cup of coffee and a snack if you want. We're going to start in a moment."
"Sure thing, Mother. By the way, the Commander sends her regards." Trunks stated as he walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a bottle of water to drink.
"Is that right? Well, I'll have to give Videl a call and see how she's been." Bulma smiled. "I know she's been busy with the ESF but it would be nice to catch up with her. Heck, it's been a while since we've seen Chi-Chi and the Ox-King. I think Yajirobe and that old Turtle Hermit are still around. I say a little get-together would do us some good, wouldn't you agree?"
After taking a sip of his bottled water, Trunks nodded, "Yeah, I believe it would,"
Soon enough, Bulma managed to finish preparing the camera and began the video call with her soon-to-be present.
Joining the conference were the very few survivors, both new and old, who happened to represent the science community around the world.
One was a young man in his thirties despite his diminutive height and childlike face. He had slick back hair, and dark eyes with black rings around them. He too, wore a white lab coat as a means to stay professional.
Another was an older man who surprisingly still had a head full of hair that was gray. The wrinkled man had a white lab cover over a tan collared shirt, brown khakis, and red loafers.
The third happened to be a girl roughly around Trunks' age and bore a tremendous resemblance to Bulma when she was a teenager on the hunt for the Dragon Balls. However, her hair was turquoise rather than blue. The only difference was that she wore thick-framed eyeglasses and her ponytail was much shorter than Bulma's ponytail.
The first person was Dr. Maki Hedo, the grandson of Dr. Maki Gero and former staff member of now-defunct Red Pharmaceuticals. Now, he is currently the head of the Research and Development Department of ESF's East City Branch.
The second is Dr. Jason Collie, a former geneticist hired by the retired martial artist and billionaire Baron Jaguar on his private island before the cyborgs cleared the island of nearly all life. Thankfully, he quit working for the fool before he could be caught in the slaughter. Now, he is the head of the Department of Biotechnology of North City's ESF.
And last, but certainly not least, was Leggings Briefs. She is the only daughter of Tights Briefs, Bulma's niece, and Trunks' younger cousin. Upon helping out with her mother in the food drives during the cyborg rampage, successfully completing the necessary schooling, and passing the qualifications, Leggings managed to rise and become head of the ESF's Department of Engineering in South City.
Meanwhile, Bulma herself would be the Minister of Science and the head scientist of West City.
"Good afternoon, everybody!" Bulma said, kindly welcoming as the recorded meeting started.
"Salutations," Dr. Collie replied.
"Hello," Responded Dr. Hedo.
"Hi, there~!" Chirped Dr. Leggings Briefs.
Giggling, Bulma turned to her side while showing her soon to the members of the conference as she said, "I'm glad all of you could make it to today's conference. I've brought Trunks along to the meeting with me. I figured he needed to hear what I and the team over here in West City had discovered. I hope you all don't mind."
"It's not a problem, ma'am." Dr. Collie said with a warm smile.
"Agreed," Hedo said, keeping his response short and direct while still admiring the presence of the war hero who gave him a chance to redeem his family's sins.
"I'm fine with it, Auntie." Leggings said before winking at her cousin. "Long time no see, cousin."
Trunks cracked a smile, saying, "It's good to see you too, Leggings."
"Anyway, let's get down to business," Bulma said as she donned an expression of professionalism. "As all of you are aware, because of the collateral damage left in wake of the Cyborg Rampage from three years ago, most surface forms of energy were more or less lost to us, forcing us to seek energy sources that may be buried beneath the Earth itself, as some ancient cultures theorized."
The three scientists from their respective cameras nodded while their expressions became impassive (Dr. Hedo), neutral (Leggings), or hardened (Dr. Collie) from recalling the damage C-17 and C-18 caused.
"The Excavation Team was slowly and surely carving layer after layer at the Earth's crust until just five weeks ago, they made a discovery that would change everything." Bulma inquired before she pulled up a visual aid via a slide show as a separate window and shared her screen to show what appeared to be several blue glowing crystals that had an otherworldly visage to them.
"Interesting," Hedo said while the other two scientists inspected the crystals silently.
Trunks' eyes widened, instantly recognizing the color of the ore that was displayed on his mother's screen as the visual aid.
"What a minute! Those crystals look like the fuel for the-!" Trunks blurted out.
"-I'm getting to that, dear. But I'm glad you caught on to that rather quickly." Bulma teased, prompting her son to blush while her colleagues lightly chuckled at the young man's expense. "Wedged within pathways the Excavation Team found at the top of the asthenosphere were these blue crystals, ones that resembled the same crystal I dug up eight years ago to create the Electro-Fluid that powered my Time Machine. Once we could pull them to the surface, the crystals were sent off to my lab, and after some analysis, I can conclude that these crystals are the same kind as the ones used in Electro-Fluid, a naturally-occurring substance that contains enough energy to bend and fold space-time and cause temporal displacement. Because of its role as the fuel for the Time Machine and its space-time altering properties, I have decided to call them Chronal Gems."
"What!?" Both the elderly man and the twenty-one-year-old young lady shouted at their screens.
Hedo remained quiet for a moment as a pensive, yet skeptical gaze appeared on his child-like face.
The short man then asked, "...Excuse me? This sounds a little too convenient. You mean to tell me that you just so happened to find the secrets to space-time without saying a word for nearly ten years. And it was a measly rock that one can unearth the whole time. And we're hearing about this now because…?"
"Because I had no way of knowing the original crystal was from below the Earth, considering I lacked the resources or manpower to further study it outside of it being a source of energy, not to mention we were still being hunted by those Cyborgs, so I had to be quick and discreet so that they didn't figure out what I was doing," Bulma explained.
"So, you allowed your then-teenaged son to pilot a highly dangerous and experimental temporal traversal vehicle without knowing the unknown dangers that could arise from the fuel source, let alone any potential dangers that space-time could cause." Hedo flatly called out, not at all fazed at the half glare he was getting from Bulma or the impassive expression of Trunks.
"We had no choice in the matter, Dr. Hedo." Bulma countered sharply while keeping some professionalism intact. "Humanity was on the verge of extinction thanks to those monsters. We needed to put a stop to this nightmare, and so I concluded that going back in time was the best idea we had at the time! And need I remind you that my son Trunks was no normal teenager, he was the son of a Saiyan prince and inherited his race's power. Yes, it didn't just fix everything instantly, but it gave my son the chance to grow strong enough to destroy the cyborgs and Cell, ending the threat of Dr. Gero's creations once and for all."
Hedo remained silent once more at the mention of his grandfather before nodding silently.
"M-Maybe the topic at hand is getting a little tense," Leggings said, trying to defuse the situation, albeit in an awkward and sheepish fashion.
"I concur." Dr. Collie agreed, reinserting his presence into the video conference. "And while I agree that Trunks' efforts ultimately gave us a chance to help put an end to the nightmare we all had to face which I'm eternally grateful for, I also agree with young Dr. Hedo's concerns. And these concerns shouldn't be ignored here, Dr. Briefs."
Dr. Collie then turned to Trunks, then asked, "Lt. CMDR, weren't there any alterations to the timeline you visited after going back to aid Son Goku and the other warriors in the past?"
Trunks looked down for a second before explaining, "...It's true. There was a Butterfly Effect as a consequence of saving Goku-san's life with the medicine my mother made for him. Not only did my father and the others survive, but Dr. Gero made more Artificial Humans other than the cyborgs that we know. And that pair of cyborgs were even stronger than the ones from our timeline. …And because of me, Cell appeared and managed to achieve his Perfect Form. If it wasn't for Goku-san's sacrifice and Gohan ascending to a higher level of Super Saiyan, all would have been lost."
Bulma bit her lip, worried at the reactions and potential responses.
"So, it was all circumstantial huh," Hedo muttered. "I knew it."
"Auntie, perhaps we should take a five-minute break," Leggings purposed, not wanting any other emotions to potentially cause any more problems with their businesses.
Trunks turned to his mother, who didn't seem too happy at the moment and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She's right, Mother. It would do you and everybody else some good." The war hero advised.
Bulma sighed, then moved the mouse cursor to the camera icon as she was ready to turn it off.
"Okay guys, let's take five minutes off–"
Suddenly, a familiar Instant Transmission rang through the ears of Bulma and Trunks. Before they could react, however, a thin yellow beam traveled past them and destroyed the main computer, causing an explosion that forced the mother and son pair to cover their eyes and they jumped back.
Trunks was the first to recover from the blast as he held his mother as he asked, "Mother! Mother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Trunks. Just startled as all." Bulma said before gazing at the smoking scorched mark where her computer used to be. "The better question to be asking is what the hell happened to my goddamn computer!?"
"I happened!" A pair of foreign yet familiar voices spoke as if they were one entity.
Trunks and Bulma turned around, with Trunks jumping in front of his mother protectively with his broadsword drawn out and ready to defend Bulma the best way he could.
What stood before the two Briefs made Bulma shake in fear while Trunks sweat nervously.
The intruder happened to be a Saiyan with a tail. His spiky hair that ran along the back closely vaguely resemble Son Goku's on the front while somehow Vegeta's hair in the back. The color of his hair was a bright red, and his fur was a dark reddish-brown hue. Unbeknownst to both Trunks and Bulma, the Saiyan wore a typical Metamoran garb, which included a black vest with yellow padding and a teal belt, as well as black pants, blue wristbands, and a black sleeveless shirt covering his torso. His incredible muscular build oddly reminded Bulma of both Goku and Vegeta, though, she couldn't think of a reason as to why.
The furry Saiyan had his right arm extended in the direction of the computer with only his index finger, middle finger, and thumb exposed.
"Consider your meeting, canceled." The Saiyan coldly quipped while two voices seemingly melded as one as he spoke.
'His voice! Why does it sound so familiar to me?' Bulma said, listening to the Saiyan's voice for a second time.
Meanwhile, Trunks was trying his hardest to sense the Saiyan's Battle Power but failed to do so.
'Damn it! I can't get a read off this guy's power ! …But this presence is mind-bogglingly intense!' Trunks thought while gritting his teeth. 'Still, I have to protect Mother no matter what!'
"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" Trunks demanded. "I swear, if you take one more step in our direction, I'll–"
"–Don't even try it, boy. You don't want any of what I am right now. Trust me, you'll just make things harder for yourself and Bulma than it already is for both of you." The mysterious Saiyan said, crossing his arms.
Both Bulma and Trunks gasped at the new information.
'How does he know my mother?' Trunks questioned internally.
Bulma then walked past her son, much to the worry of her son, and looked up at the blue-eyed Saiyan, asking, "Who are you? What business do you have with my son and I?"
"I can answer that." Another voice echoed throughout the room.
The room, the air, and everything around Trunks and Bulma took on a heavy atmosphere as a faint sound of a clock ticking could be heard in the distance. Then suddenly a golden radiant light shined in front of the mother and son, catching the two's attention as they could see a lone figure descending from above as the godly light enveloped this entity.
The figure appeared to be a tall, slender female Shinjin with pinkish-purple skin with long flowing pinkish-red hair. Her eyes had alluring golden irises which complimented her well-shaped figure. As for her attire, she wore a sleeveless yellow unitard under a white tunic that had a goldenrod trim. Her sash and trousers matched the color of the unitard while her high heels matched her tunic's color.
Behind her was a large clock-shaped halo that shined while its hour and minute hands ceased to move.
"Hmph! You sure took your sweet time…" The Saiyan lightly quipped as he gazed upon his superior. "...Lady Chronoa."
"Lady Chronoa?" Bulma echoed with curiosity.
Trunks took time to gaze upon the radiant being that stood in front of him beside the Saiyan and noticed that she had the same presence as the Saiyan, but on a grander scale. He also recognized the Potara earrings, her pointed ears, and the clothing that she wore.
'No, don't tell me...! This woman's a Kai! She couldn't be related to Lord Shin, could she?' Trunks pondered while never losing his grip on his drawn-out broadsword. 'This could mean trouble if she's bad news!'
"Bulma Briefs and Trunks Briefs of Universe 7-?, you stand before me, the Supreme Kai of Time, guilty of crimes against the flow of time and space itself." The heavenly-looking female said in a stern but calm tone before crossing her arms. "Do you admit or deny your actions? How do you plead, mortals?"
"T-The Supreme Kai of T-Time?" Trunks stammered, dropping his sword completely as he began to panic. "Aw, crap baskets…!"
"A time goddess?" Bulma pondered aloud before refocusing. "Wait just a minute! We're not guilty! If you're this almighty god of time that you claim to be, then you already know that traveling through time was the only way for us to save our world! That's why I sent my own son to do what needed to be done."
"Wow… I almost forgot how pompous she can be. This won't bode well for her at all." The male furry Saiyan said, shaking his head without any form of pity in his being.
Chronoa furrowed her brows, astonished at the arrogance that the blue-haired woman as if she knew what she was doing during the time she had her son violate nature itself.
The goddess stared the mortal woman down with a glare that sent shivers down both Bulma and Trunks' spines as she asked, "Do you seriously presume to know more about the inner workings of time than the Lady and Master of All Time itself? As per usual, Bulma Briefs, your hubris blinds you to the greater consequences of your actions. It's a pity, really. You spent years striving to preserve a future for your son, only for you to drag him down with you in the end."
Trunks' face paled at the sound of this while Bulma mirrored her son's expression.
"W-Wait, what do you mean to drag my son down with me?" Bulma asked as sweat began to secrete sweat from her pours from anxiety.
"You believed that creating this Time Machine and traveling to the past would change your circumstances in this time, but in your desperation to save your world, you miscalculated and heavily misunderstood how the flow of time works. Traveling back to the past and altering its course does not change your future, it instead created a new timeline that branched off the one you reside in. But your son didn't just travel back and forth once, he did so multiple times. Your reckless actions in sending your son to save this timeline and that altered timeline from destruction have caused utter chaos in the timestream. And that's not the worst part. Can either of you guess what would have happened each time you used your Time Machine?"
Then it dawned on Trunks' mind as his legs buckled until his knees hit the floor.
"...I-I created a new branch. A new reality. Of any possibility! Oh God…!" Trunks answered before bowing his head. "What have I done? Have I been a fool this whole time?"
"Trunks, I…" Bulma said, trying to comfort her son by placing a hand on his shoulder.
However, the young man shrugged the woman's hand while placing a hand on his face in shame.
"Leave the boy be, Woman. He's adjusting to the gravity of the truth." The Saiyan stated, never changing his serious demeanor.
"What truth!?" The woman screamed as she marched up to the Saiyan. "My son has only made two round trips! And-"
"-Haven't you been listening to anything that Lady Chronoa said? For every decision made from choosing what dress you'd like to wear for the day, to destroying a world-ending threat, the other decision or outcome will open up a pathway to something new. A new possibility. A new timeline. It all adds up, Bulma. Simple as that." The red-furred Saiyan stated.
"You…! You…!" Bulma growled while turning red before trying to hit the Saiyan, only for the warrior to gently catch the woman's wrist. "Who are you!? Goku or Vegeta?"
"What?" Trunks gasped as he jolted, taking his mind out of self-pity for himself so he react to his mother's outburst.
Sighing, the Saiyan answered, "I am neither Kakarot nor Prince Vegeta VI. I am from an alternate timeline where the two of them lived their lives to the fullest, died, and were revived to be enlisted by Lady Chronoa. The two have utilized a technique that involved a method of fusing into one being. You may refer to me as Gogeta, an Elite Time Patroller."
Trunks' head lifted up as he turned to the man that claimed to be half his father and half Goku, thinking to himself, 'G-Gogeta? They're a fusion? What kind of power did they tap into that could allow them to combine into one being? And what is this form that they assume?'
As soon as Gogeta let the woman's wrist go, Bulma's eyes dilated while stray tears fell from her face before placing her hands against it and crying into her hands from the overwhelming emotions of being near the two of most important people in her life.
The sighing Saiyan, who was currently in his Super Saiyan Level Four state, then turned to Chronoa for further instructions.
"Did you locate the gems?" Chronoa asked sternly to the fused Saiyan.
Gogeta nodded before asking, "Permission to proceed with the plan, Milady?"
The goddess nodded as she gave out her next orders.
"Destroy the gems, bury the opening to the asthenosphere," Chronoa ordered.
"What?" Trunks shouted before turning to the two higher-level beings and protesting. "Hold on a second! You don't know what you're doin-"
With a grunt and a nod, the stoic SSL4 Gogeta put his right index and middle fingers onto his forehead and was whisked away from the area via the Instant Transmission technique.
A technique that Trunks himself couldn't keep up with.
Trunks then looked to the Kaiōshin of Time and said, "Lady Chronoa! Please, call him back! I know what we've done was an extremely foolish mistake, but those Chronal Gems were going to be used to help get the world back on track! If they were to be destroyed, we wouldn't have any other renewable power sources! Our planet will not last long!"
Trunks bowed humbly on his knees with his sword laid down beside him, pleading to the time goddess, "I beg you, don't let the Earth fall into ruin again! We've all risked so much to protect it, I don't want it all to be for nothing!"
"When a God of Creation brings forth a planet from the remnants of a dead world, the fractured space-time formed from a reaction to a God of Destruction's energy around it is pulled into the core of the newly formed planet, inducing a chemical reaction that leads to the Chronal Gems' creation, bubbled cosmic power, the crystallized blood of the universe, and you exploited it to play god over countless lives and jeopardize the lives in the worlds you inadvertently created…" Chronoa explained in a harsh and divine tone before her expression slightly softened. "...Be that as it may, your planet will survive without them."
"R-Really," Trunks said with a bit of hope while raising his head.
Before Chronoa could say anything, a small rumble could be felt a couple of hundred miles away. From there, Bulma took her hands off of her face with a startled expression.
"...W-What was that?" Bulma questioned.
"It appears Gogeta has done what I requested of him…" Chronoa replied, looking in the direction of where the rumbling originated from.
On cue, Gogeta reappeared in the room, explaining, "There were more crystals than we realized, Lady Chronoa. In fact, there was an entire mound of the stuff. I had to resort to using a heavily restrained Big Bang Kamehameha to incinerate the whole area. But it's sealed off for good. Hate to say it, but I'm glad there's no Dragon Clan Namekian with a set of Dragon Balls to undo that."
"You did, what!?" Bulma screamed before bursting into tears. "No! Why are you doing this to us?"
"It is better this way, Mortal. We cannot tempt the inhabitants of this world any further with divine power and knowledge, especially in regards to the Dragon Balls. You only have yourselves to blame." Chronoa explained as she put her arms behind her back. "Should I find you mining for more Chronal Gems, expect a visit from Lord Beerus?"
While Gogeta walked around the room and went through one of the file cabinets full of DynaCaps, Trunks walked over to his mother to support her as he questioned, "What happens now, Lady Chronoa? What will happen to us?"
"Physically? Nothing, for I have swayed the God of Destruction from erasing the both of you for your time-traveling shenanigans." Chronoa said to Trunks. "Your mother's intellect and ingenuity are needed for the Earth to continue to rebuild, so removing her from this timeline serves no purpose. But the consequences of her actions that she has continuously escaped must be rectified."
Hearing this, Bulma swallowed a bit of saliva down her throat, feeling the guilt of her actions and fear of retribution at the hand of the time goddess scared her.
"Bulma Briefs, by my authority as the Supreme Kai of Time, Queen of the Time Nest, and Commander of the Time Patrol, you are forbidden to create any machines or anomalies involving time travel. Do you understand?" Chronoa asked in an authoritarian tone of voice.
Bulma nodded quickly, stammering out, "Y-Yes! I-I promise!"
"Good. Then I guess you don't mind if I do this." Gogeta said, finding the Time Machine's capsule that Bulma made for Trunks to travel in.
"Huh?" Bulma said as she and Trunks focused their attention on the capsule in Gogeta's hand.
Gogeta began to concentrate his ki, changing it from a red wild ki to a destructive violet energy. That power was then channeled to the hand in which the Time Machine's capsule was being held. Within a few seconds, the capsule began to dissolve in front of the Briefs' eyes, succumbing to the effect of the Energy of Destruction.
Bulma held her mouth with one of her hands as Trunks held on to the sorrowful woman's other as a means of comfort. The young man could only repeat the soft words "Let it go" as the woman rocked back and forth from the loss of her greatest invention.
When his destructive purple aura vanished, the stoic Gogeta confessed, "I know it probably doesn't mean much to you, but it pained both the Kakarot and the Vegeta in me to do that to you. But it's like what Lady Chronoa said, it's better this way. The time stream must be preserved at all costs, nor should your invention risk falling into the wrong hands."
"We understand." Trunks sighed in acceptance, holding his mother close. "But at least it's over now…"
"Trunks Briefs." Chronoa said in an authoritarian and harsh tone, causing Trunks' heart rate to skyrocket again in fear. "Though you did not discover the Chronal Gems or built the Time Machine, you were the one who piloted it. It was you who chose to defy temporal law by traveling to the past and sharing future knowledge with past iterations of your loved ones, giving them a pathway they should not have gone down without first realizing it themselves. Each leap you made between timelines led to hundreds of temporal branches being formed, and in one instance was vulnerable enough to be killed by the Bio-Android Cell and allow him to further violate the time stream with another leap, then devour so many innocent lives to become perfect. Then your father, Vegeta, after training with you to try and partially ascend past Super Saiyan, willingly allowed Cell to absorb Cyborg 18, and though you tried to stop it, the circumstances in which you find yourself would have never happened had you kept your guard up!"
Chronoa's face looked like it was nearly about to burst into anger from recounting so many of Trunks' failures and poor choices. However, her face began to soften and show a small glimmer of empathy towards the half-Saiyan son of Bulma and Vegeta.
Trunks' bangs covered his face. Trunks himself bowed his head in shame from being reminded of the countless mistakes he had made during his time in the past. All that Bulma could do is stare at her son with eyes of pity. Meanwhile, Gogeta, living a similar life to the Goku and Vegeta variants from the altered past via his two fused halves, could only shake his head in mild disappointment.
"However, I also cannot ignore all of the times that you have shown bravery, skill, and determination. You defeated Frieza and King Cold, saving the planet and its inhabitants a cruel and painful death, put an end to the Cyborgs' reign of terror once and for all, then destroyed your timeline's version of Cell before he could even absorb 17. And of course, you trained under Lord Shin, the Supreme Kai of your universe, to vanquish the wizard Babidi and the brainwashed Demon King Dabura before they could awaken the primordial embodiment of chaos Majin Buu, sparing the universe another omnicidal rampage. Through everything you accomplished, you still became a hero to those around you, to those who believed in hope." Chronoa said with a softer tone of voice while Gogeta cracked a smile at the young man's deeds.
Bulma patted her son on the back with a small smile as he asked, "What does this mean for me?"
"While Bulma Briefs of Universe 7-∝ will be monitored for a classified amount of time until she can be trusted again, you're fate is an entirely different matter. Chronoa said, returning to her stern and authoritarian expression as she snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, Trunks' body sat straight up with his hands to his sides and was as stiff as a board, alarming both the war hero and his world-famous mother.
"Trunks!" Bulma cried.
"H-Hey! W-What's going on!?" Trunks demanded, albeit in a panic. "I-I can't control my body!"
Sighing, Gogeta walked over to Trunks, stripped him of his sheath and military jacket, and moved both his arms behind him like a police officer.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing to my son? Stop it!" Bulma shouted in maternal rage.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that. Sorry that it has to be this way," Gogeta apologized genuinely.
From there, Trunks felt his body regain control as his energy became unavailable to be accessed. As it turned out, the SSL4 fusion took out Ki-Sealing Handcuffs and cuffed Trunks to depower the Saiyan Hybrid.
"Chronoa! What is the meaning of this!?" Bulma questioned while consumed with the burning fury of an angry mother.
The time goddess chose to ignore Bulma as she finished the ruling of her verdict to Trunks, "Trunks Briefs, you have been found guilty on the counts of unsanctioned time travel, interacting with time variants without permission, providing crucial information to time variants without permission, timeline alterations, and the creation of numerous timelines. By my authority as the Supreme Kai of Time, Queen of the Time Nest, and Commander of the Time Patrol, you are sentenced to a lifetime of exile from your timeline and universe. Unless I see fit, you are to never return to your original universe and or timeline. Once you are moved to your new living quarters and serve a maximum of six months of house arrest, you will spend the remainder of your days aiding the Time Patrol to correct any and all alterations to the timelines that you've created. Do you understand, Mortal?"
Trunks was at a loss for words. His whole future is in his universe. Snuffed away just like that, and all because of his recklessness and lack of foresight. He had managed to make sure that everybody else had a future on the planet that he had sacrificed his own. Various emotions ran through his mind and body…but then he began to accept them. To accept his mistakes and his current fate. Just like he should have done so in the first place.
Bulma wailed in denial like any mother would, picking up Trunks' sword, and was ready to strike the time goddess down.
"No! I won't let you!" Bulma screamed with hot tears pouring down her face. "You can take my Time Machine, you can take those stupid crystals! Hell, take my life if you want to! I don't care what kind of god you are, I won't let you take the only thing that matters to me!"
'Mother…' Trunks murmured in his mind.
Before Chronoa could react to this, a clone of Gogeta appeared in front of Bulma with his arms crossed, saying, "Bulma, put the sword down. This isn't easy for anybody right now. But your actions are only making the situation worse than it already is."
"If you really are half-Vegeta, how could you detain your own son to the same kind of servitude that had you under Frieza's heel as a slave!? Aren't you nobody's tool? What happened to that Saiyan pride, huh!?" Bulma hissed in a fit of rage. "Or was all of that just talk?"
Gogeta's eyes flicked in an instant, causing a burst of kiai to push Bulma down while the sword slid back next to the shaken woman.
"Make no mistake, Woman. The Vegeta in me acknowledges the existence of his son and is proud of where he stood in life. As for his pride, it still exists within Vegeta's very being! However, his son has long since passed. As did Vegeta's wife. You and this timeline's Trunks are not the ones from my timeline." The Gogeta clone growled while his tail flickered dangerously as he pointed to the cuffed Trunks. "I exist because our timeline is one of the many results of this boy's meddling. Meddling that you sanctioned! So don't think I care about you enough to allow your constant nonsense to run rampant and unchecked. You're but a variant of a person that's been dead for years. I will correct that attitude of yours, and I'm not afraid to do it!"
Bulma wanted to say something else, but Trunks interjected.
"ENOUGH!" Trunks screamed. "Mother, just stop! For the love of Kami, stop talking for once! You're gonna make things worse!"
"Trunks…?" The older lady whispered. "What are you doing?"
Turning to Chronoa and Gogeta, Trunks asked, "With me gone, how will my planet be safeguarded if there's nobody as strong as me to protect it?"
"You cannot continue to coddle humanity simply because you are stronger than them, Trunks Briefs. They must grow strong and learn to defend themselves. There will come a day when a new hero arrives to keep watch over them and spread the message of hope. It's not irresponsible to leave others in their own hands."
Trunks sighed for the umpteenth time, bitterly smiling as he said, "I guess it can't be helped."
Looking directly at Chronoa, he asked, "Can you at least bring my sword with you? It was given to me by a family friend to replace the one my master gave me."
Chronoa looked over to where Trunks' sword was on the floor and reached her left arm out to telekinetically pull the sword into her hand. She looked at the sword, admiring the craftsmanship of the blade, before then removing it from its sheath to gaze upon the bare blade. Chronoa also noticed the emblem embedded into the bottom of the hilt of the sword, before then showing Gogeta the emblem in question.
"...I see, the Ox-King made this. That means that his original sword must have been a gift from Gohan." The clone Gogeta answered before he remerged back to the original.
Chronoa then put Trunks' sword back into its sheath before looking at Trunks and giving her answer as she made the sword disappear in a flash of light, "The sword will be returned to you once you have served out your house arrest."
Trunks cracked a grin, saying, "Well, that's a relief. At least I know that the world will be in better shape than I hoped for. At least, it will eventually..."
"Trunks! No! You can't just leave!" Bulma cried, trying to keep her son close to her. "The world needs you! Don't let them-"
"-Mother, listen." Trunks said, cutting her off. "It's okay. I'm okay with this. And I think Lady Chronoa's right. I've done all that I can for the planet. But our mistakes have caused a lot of harm to people too. That's not something that I'm going to ignore. And you shouldn't either. This may be the only way for me to make things right…and to make peace with myself."
"B-But what about Earth? Your family? Your future!? You have a whole life ahead of you, here!" Bulma pointed out.
Trunks shook his head, stating, "I'm a warrior, Mother. My whole life was about combat and surviving. That's all that I know. I'm already lost in what to do next since there's peace. And If there's a world where my skill set can allow me to prevent a catastrophe like the cyborgs from ever happening, then I'll take this punishment with my head held high. And besides, this is your chance to make the world a better place without the need for magic or anything supernatural. Hell, this may be your only chance to make things right. We should do our part in correcting our mistakes from both of our ends."
Bulma, without forming any more words, hugged her son while knowing this may be the last time that she'll ever get to. Trunks would have done the same if he wasn't handcuffed.
When she finally let go of him, she said, "My brave soldier, you'll never be forgotten. I'll make sure of it."
Trunks nodded as he was ushered to the side of Chronoa by SSL4 Gogeta, "I know. And you and this world will always be on my mind too. I guess this is it for me. Goodbye, Mother. I love you."
"I love y-you, too. G-Goodbye, son." Bulma said, barely choking out the words she'd thought she would never have to say.
As she reached out to Trunks, the hands of Chronoa's halo began to move once more as the atmosphere began to return to normal. But in a flash of light, the goddess, fused Saiyan, and Saiyan Hybrid all were whisked away from the scene.
A few seconds later, several CC Guards entered the room from the alarms going off from the initial explosion that came from her computer's destruction.
In an overwhelming sense of loss and self-loathing, Bulma collapsed and wailed not only over the loss of her research, but most importantly, the tragic loss of her only child.
And it was all her fault.
-Three Years Later, Conton City, Age 850-
Being a goddess of her word, Trunks had served his sentence as soon as he entered the city outside of the boundaries of space-time. He was assigned a small Capsule House nearby the Business District to stay in.
While under house arrest, he was monitored by a powerful warrior from the Planet Cereal in Age 781. Upon getting to know his warden a little bit, it turned out that the warrior, a former Cerealian bounty hunter named Granolah, hailed from an alternate reality where the Saiyans had attacked his home and killed his mother. Another reality that Trunks' actions had created. Needless to say, the two young warriors managed to remain cordial despite the parole officer's obvious dislike towards him and his kind.
Six months went by quickly for the Saiyan Hybrid. When he was finally able to interact with the outside area, Time Patroller Son Goku (the variant of Goku that fused with his universe' Vegeta that became Gogeta) appeared to Trunks with his Instant Transmission as the younger Saiyan Hybrid was summoned by Lady Chronoa herself.
When transported from Conton City in an instant, Trunks was brought to a place reminiscent of the Room of Spirit and Time (Hyperbolic Time Chamber). The difference was that the closed area looked more like a spacious temple with an ancient shrine-like building at the center of the area that also had a large pond and green grass growing on the ground, showing that unlike the Room of Spirit and Time that this place could support vegetation. Adjacent to the shrine-esque building was a Capsule House, signifying that someone had occupied the space.
It was here where the time goddess had made herself known, albeit in a more casual form. To Trunks' surprise, Lady Chronoa was half his size, had shorter hair that went to her neck, and had a different color scheme with her outfit; being a violet tunic over a black unitard while wearing a dark blue pair of trousers.
Chronoa thanked Goku for his assistance, then welcomed Trunks to the Time Nest, home to the Vault of Time, her current residence, and the Divine Bird of Time. When Trunks questioned the "Time Vault" and "Divine Time Bird", the goddess explained each subject's importance.
Chronoa stated that the Vault of Time was where the Scrolls of Eternity lie. Each scroll contains records of the history of various timelines and eras across the timestream. If one were to be destroyed, it could cause the timeline to be erased from existence. In addition to this, the Supreme Kai has a duty to watch over and take care of the Divine Bird of Time, Tokitoki. Trunks was shocked when he learned that while Chronoa can control and manipulate the flow of time, she was born as a Shinjin and was once a normal Supreme Kai before being chosen by her predecessor to become an apprentice Supreme Kai of Time. In reality, it was the eggs of Tokitoki that allowed time itself to flow so Chronoa could manipulate it. This symbiotic relationship places the time god or goddess to keep the Divine Bird of Time alive until his lifespan ends and its offspring take its place.
With the possibility of disaster rising with the creation of alternate timelines, Chronoa created a temporal protection agency to serve under her as a means to sustain the timestream and uphold the laws of time itself. This was why she had variants of famous engineers and architects across history help construct a city near the Time Nest to serve as a home for the ever-growing population of variants that serves Chronoa's cause; Toki Toki City. The floodgate of the overcrowded population led to the reconstruction of Toki Toki City, which would be renamed Conton City.
Time Patroller Goku, jumping into the conversation, explained that Lady Chronoa was letting Trunks know about this information and that she had enrolled him in an advanced course at the Patroller Academy. There, he would complete the sixteen weeks needed and pass the final exam with an eighty percent or higher to receive his Patroller License. After that, Vegeta would assign him to a squad of new recruits and a team captain.
Trunks accepted this and immediately got started on his schooling. When entering the academy, the students at the academy all recognized Trunks from the rumors spread across campus several months back. And while they weren't openly spiteful towards the reckless time traveler, many of its students didn't bother to acknowledge him or tried to accept him in their various social circles. Trunks, while initially disheartened by the treatment he was given, ultimately accepted that he wasn't at school to make friends but to retrieve his Patroller License. So, he spent the remainder of the sixteen weeks completing every assignment that was presented to him and eventually passed the final exam with a passing grade of ninety-five percent.
Upon receiving his license, Trunks and his graduating class were brought to the Time Patrol Hub where Time Patroller Prince Vegeta VI assigned them a team. Everyone, with the exception of a teenage variant of Son Pan and Trunks Briefs, managed to be assigned to a group of their former classmates. Since Trunks and Pan were the outliers, Vegeta assigned these two new Time Patrollers to a preexisting team that graduated last. This led Trunks to be on a team with Pan, Uub (Majin Buu Absorbed), and under the watchful eyes of the reinstated Time Patrol Captain Granolah.
Almost three years have passed since the formation of the Granolah Troop (or Team "GT" as Pan had unofficially called them).
Right now, it was mid-morning for the former Lt. CMDR of Earth Special Forces. Because he was on duty, the older Trunks, whose hair was long enough to be put in a ponytail, wore a World War-esque black trench coat (that had the Time Patrol logo on the right sleeve and on the back of the coat) with a fur-lined collar and an olive-green sweater underneath, olive green pants with lighter-colored bandages around his shins and brown colored laced boots.
The now twenty-seven-year-old man had a tough time getting enough sleep. Home. A place where he was loved and accepted. People that he knew. From his timeline, his reality. That was the only thing that was ever on Trunks' mind when he wasn't on duty.
'...My home. I wonder what it's like back there. Are the people safe? Is Mother still alive? Has the ESF kept the peace between the nations? What about Commander Videl, or Auntie Tights and Leggings?' Trunks pondered while walking along the Business District.
The low-ranking Time Patroller shook his head, then kept it hanging low while weaving through the various civilians and other Time Patrolmen that hadn't received their Flyer's Permit. Many of these people moved out of the way so as to not be associated with the "Time Breaker", as his former classmates and the media labeled him.
Trunks pay no mind to the slander from his peers and heads toward the local cafe in the Business District.
This was known as Hanuman Café.
When he entered the cozy establishment, he was met with several pairs of eyes gazing upon him. Some of which were former upperclassmen who verbally taunted and berated his presence.
"Uh oh! Look who "graced" us with his presence." A random male Patrolman mocked.
A sassy young Patrolwoman heckled like a high schooler, "Time Breaker Briefs…!"
"I'm still surprised that guy was able to have been enrolled at the academy, to begin with." Another random Patrolman stated, not even bothering to look in Trunks' direction. "What's that guy even doing here? The slammer was four blocks ago."
"I know right? I heard that his mom, like, totally went crazy and tried attacking Lady Time! And Gogeta had stepped in and stopped her before bringing the Time Breaker in." One of the younger Patrolwoman gossiped.
"Some say that he doesn't talk to anybody because he's buying time before making his next move." A young Patrolman said as if he was telling his teammates a ghost story.
While the war hero remained stoic, Trunks mentally scoffed at the lack of maturity that his fellow Patrolmen were currently displaying.
'...Just another day on the job. Keep a move on, Briefs. Keep moving on.' Trunks state before walking up to the counter and speaking to the cashier.
"May I have a medium cup of coffee, please?" The young man asked, looking the woman running the register in the eyes.
"Of course, would you like cream-" The female cashier said then turned to face Trunks, halting her words upon realizing who it was. "Oh, it's you. Cream or-?"
"-No cream. I like my coffee black. And could you please be kind enough to make sure that the barista doesn't spit in my cup this time? I'd very much appreciate it." Trunks asked in the most polite fashion he could as he was trained by his mother to always be polite.
Especially towards women.
The cashier let out a quick sigh before putting on as polite a smile as she could muster.
"I'll keep that in mind, sir." She said before punching in the numbers on the cash register. "That'll be 120,000 zeni."
Trunks wasn't stupid. He had been going to this exact cafe since Pan introduced him to it shortly after their team formed. A medium cup of coffee was 120 zeni, even. He was clearly being overcharged out of prejudice for technically being considered a former criminal. But to the general population, once a criminal, always a criminal.
Trunks sighed and took out the insane amount of cash while thinking to himself, 'There goes lunch…again. Now I'm going to have to join Pan at lunch and listen and endure another round of insufferable ramblings about her boy troubles.'
"Here you go. You can keep the change, ma'am." Trunks offered politely while bowing a little before standing up straight and waiting for his coffee to be prepared.
After two minutes, Trunks grabbed his coffee and made his way to a table at the corner of the store where only two seats were stationed against the table.
Trunks sat down and took a sip of his coffee. For once, the Saiyan Hybrid was content with it. Finally, a cup of joe wasn't contaminated. So far, so good.
His mind would have wandered about, had it not been for a familiar face sitting in front of him with her laptop being placed on the table that he would now have to share.
Sitting across from Trunks was a woman around his age. She had long, chest-length black hair and black eyes. She wore a white lab coat with a blue shirt underneath.
This was Sho, and she was assigned to Team GT by Vegeta to offset their lack of an engineer.
Sho, herself, was a former criminal that ran with the Paella Gang of Age 995 for quite some time. Upon realizing that she wanted more in life than being a criminal in a world filled with conflict, Sho left the Paella Gang. On her own and a wanted fugitive, Sho was forced to watch her back now that she was running from the authorities. Sho lucked out when accidentally mistook an old Time Machine for a jetcopter and wound up escaping her time. Upon time traveling and getting herself stranded in Toki Toki City several years ago, she was given a similar yet lighter punishment than Trunks by Chronoa and now serves the Time Patrol as a scientist until she was placed on Granolah's squad.
"You know that was extortion, right?" Sho commented, stating the obvious.
Trunks took a sip of his coffee while responding, "Mhm."
"And you just let it happen?" The Team Engineer continued, raising an eyebrow.
Trunks stopped drinking his coffee, casually stating, "I had worse."
The woman began to type on her laptop's keyboard while looking at her screen. But she didn't stop the conversation.
"Briefs-san, I know we haven't really spoken to each other a whole lot, but you're still my teammate and colleague. And I can tell that this isn't the first instance of something like this happening to you. Why don't you file a report about this place about their poor service?" Sho questioned.
"Your concern is appreciated, Sho-san. But I don't want any more trouble." Trunks answered with a ghost of a smile before turning stoic once more. "It's bad enough that my exploits in amateur time travel have been leaked to the media. The last thing that I want is to draw any more unnecessary attention to me. Especially when the entire city is against me. Besides, I'm not here to win this city's approval, I'm here to atone for my sins and do my job."
Sho paused what she was doing and looked at Trunks with a serious gaze, saying, "Look, I may not have done the exact same thing as you, but I can relate and empathize with you to some degree. I was a criminal who worked alongside a mutt for a man under a crazy self-absorbed gremlin who wanted world domination. Time traveling wasn't something that I intended, but I'd probably opt to take that option if it was the only means of leaving the sorrows of my world behind. Regardless, that doesn't mean that you should take everybody's crap because you feel damned. You made a mistake, Briefs-san. Even if you have Saiyan blood in you, you're still a man. And you're owning up to it like a man. No one, not even you deserve this kind of treatment. And you shouldn't take it from anybody; not these stupid girls and frat boys, not these public workers, nobody."
"...I know, Sho-san. I know. But there's nothing that I can do about it. It's like what Lady Chorona said, my fate has already been decided." Trunks said while he sighed. "Just drop this topic for now, okay? I can work through the pain just fine."
Sho shook her head, and typed a few keys on her laptop before uttering, "Kami, you're hopeless."
Trunk let out a mirthless chuckle, saying, "Yeah, I get that a lot."
A silence fell between the two for a moment, allowing the pair to drink their coffee and handle a bit of paperwork "...How bad was it? Life in your timeline, I mean. You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable with-"
Trunks held out his hand, while an expression of softness appeared on the young man's face.
"-It's fine, Sho-san. It's only natural that you rather hear the truth from the source rather than some rumor that was blown out of proportion." Trunks said while giving the woman a genuine smile. "I was born into a world plunged into chaos. Though, it was warranted, given that Goku-san from my reality did not finish the job of dismantling the entire Red Ribbon Army. Still, due to the cyborg's ruthless terrorism across Earth, its population plummeted by ninety five percent."
"And what about the Z-Warriors and the rest of the Dragon Team?" Sho questioned.
Trunks brought his cup of coffee down gently, explaining, "Goku-san passed away from a heart virus shortly after my birth. A year later. The cyborgs appeared and murdered almost all of the Z-Warriors. So many lives were lost to them. Animals, Beastmen, humans, nothing but targets to those mechanical monsters. And since Piccolo died, it killed his father's good half, which made the Dragon Balls inert so that the Eternal Dragon couldn't wish anybody back. The only one from Goku-san's group that survived was my master, Gohan. But even as a Super Saiyan, he… he didn't make it in the end."
"I see," Sho whispered, averting her eyes away from the lavender-haired man.
"Sometime after my master's death, Mother resorted to creating a time machine under the assumption that giving Goku-san medicine in the past while warning him about my time's threat would change the future. It was the first time in my life that I thought that perhaps we could take fate and fortune into our own two hands. Maybe, destiny could be rewritten. That gave me hope, Sho-san."
"Oh? And here I thought that you were the hopeless one." Sho said, lightly poking fun at her colleague.
Trunks smirked, saying, "Not always. While my mother and I were both wrong in our assumption of time travel, my involvement in their battle with the Artificial Humans and Bio-Android Cell in the altered timeline ultimately increased my power to such a high degree, I was strong enough to destroy the cyborgs of my timeline and kill Cell before he was able to start absorbing people a year later. Other than my dealing with Babidi and Dabura, my world has been at peace ever since."
"That's great!" Sho beamed before retreating back to some form of professionalism after a faux cough. "Ahem! A-Anyway… Do people in your world know about you and your friends, and what you guys have done for them?"
Trunks nodded, stating, "Oh, yeah. Definitely. Mother wasn't going to leave out the sacrifices that Goku-san and our friends had made for the planet. And given what happened after I prevented Buu's release, I'm more than certain that's the case. I'm not only her son and former heir of the Capsule Corporation but I was considered a war hero to the planet. When our resistance had converted into a single global military unit with branches, I was the Lt. CMDR of West City's military branch."
"You're kidding me! You were that high in the food chain?" Sho exclaimed in shock.
Without saying a thing, Trunks took out a copy of his old ESF ID card that listed his basic information which included his rank. The card also had a stamp with the seal of King Furry with his signature which proved its legitimacy.
"Woah, this does seem legitimate," Sho whispered to herself.
"Honesty, even if it was three years ago, it feels like ages since I left. Back then, I couldn't wrap my head around everybody parading around me like I was their sole hero. Truth is that as a collective, we each played a part in winning our tomorrow. Seeing those faces of happy families slowly rebuilding their lives while waving at me…It was a fulfilling sensation, knowing what our sacrifices led to. I took pride in it, personally." Trunks expressed in a retrospective manner. "I miss seeing those faces."
Sho nodded silently after listening to Trunks, pondering, '...He's been through so much, and yet these ignorant bastards have the nerve to judge him. He may have broken the law, but he's far from deserving from the slander he's constantly on the receiving end of. For Kami's sake, he's a war hero!'
The engineer handed Trunks back his ESF ID, saying, "I don't know if you will see them again, but I'm positive that they miss you just as you miss them. Anybody can wear a uniform and be a soldier, but heroes like you are rarities these days."
"Sho-san,"
The touching moment was ruined when a younger and sassy voice interrupted the touching moment.
"Are the two of you done flirting yet?"
Sho and Trunks sat stiff with blood flooding their cheeks for a split second. The two quickly snapped out of their embarrassment and turned their heads to see who was currently by the table that they were sitting at.
Standing across Trunks and Sho were a pair of fellow Time Patrollers.
The first was a raven-haired pale skinned girl who was about five feet tall; short for a teenager. Her hairstyle was a bob cut that reached down to her shoulders with a flat bang front over her head. Her uniform consisted of an orange bandana around her forehead along with a red jacket (which had the Time Patrol logo on the right sleeve) with yellow trim and a black crop top that showed off her midriff, dark grey fingerless gloves, sage green shorts with pale lower fur trims, brown big side pockets, taupe and brown thigh-length sock and dark grey boots.
Next to the girl was a dark-skinned young man around her age. He had dark spiky hair whose length and style were reminiscent of Shin's (Supreme Kai). His physical build was muscular for a sixteen-year-old. On his right ear was a small golden earring. He wore a black vest (with the Time Patrol logo on the back) with a golden trim over a black skin-tight sleeveless muscle shirt, armbands that matched the color scheme of his vest with a pair of golden wristbands wrapped around them, a golden metal belt, grey trousers, and boots that matched the color scheme of his vest.
These two were Trunks' teammates, Son Pan and Uub.
Groaning at the abrupt appearance of his two youngest team members (specifically Pan), Trunks groaned.
"Sorry for the interruption Trunks-san, Sho-san." Uub apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"You're fine, Uub. I know this wasn't your idea," Trunks sighed before begrudgingly turning to the daughter of his fallen master from an alternate timeline. "What are you doing here anyway, Pan? I thought you'd be elsewhere waiting for Captain Granolah."
"Oi, what kind of greeting is that? You treat Uub decently, why don't you ever do so to me? Aren't I your teammate, too?" Pan questioned, sending the older Saiyan Hybrid a glare that was similar to her mother.
This glare was known to send shivers down powerful humans' and Saiyans' spines…but Trunks was not one of these people.
"I would if you weren't such a pain half of the tim-Ow!" Trunks grunted before being smacked upside the head by Sho. "Hey, what gives!?"
"Don't be rude, Briefs!" Sho scolded in an authoritative tone, not unlike his mother. "You'd think that two years would be enough time to adjust… Whether you like it or not, Pan-chan is a part of the team. So treat her as such, understand?"
The smug daughter of Videl stuck her tongue out childishly in response to Trunks grunting positively to the team engineer's command. But that would be expected of Granolah's second-in-command.
"U-Um…" Uub uttered, getting everybody's attention. "...The captain instructed us to take you guys to the Time Patrol Hub to meet with him. He's gone to the office at the TP Department and retrieved our solo assignments for the day."
The youngest girl on the team puffed her cheeks out in a pout, saying, "Man, I wanted to go on a group mission again. It was so much fun!"
When hearing this, Trunks sighed in relief, thinking, 'Thank you, Kami! I get to work at my best by myself, and I don't have to deal with Pan's antics or the captain busting my chops today!'
"Still longing for that grand adventure like the one you had aboard the Grand Tour Spaceship in your timeline, huh Pan-chan?" Sho asked with a small grin.
Pan looked away from everyone while a saddened smile appeared, confessing, "...I guess you can say that I am feeling nostalgic. I haven't had a rush like when Grandpa, the Trunks of my world, and I traveled across the universe. Things haven't been the same since he rode off with the Dragon and our Earth's Dragon Balls disappeared. …I miss him."
Uub placed a hand on Pan's shoulder in a comforting manner, stating, "I'm sure wherever your grandfather is that he's thinking about you as well."
Pan lightly blushed and sputtered in a mess at the Majin reincarnate's action, causing Sho to giggle while Trunks snorted in amusement.
Trunks finished his coffee and got up from his seat.
"Well then, we shouldn't keep him waiting. Let's move out." Trunks declared, prompting the other members of Granolah's Troop to leave the cafe.
Chrono Shift Station, Conton City
The engineer and three lower ranking Time Patrollers stood in front of a man with a large glowing portal behind him as he held a small silver briefcase.
The pale skinned male was about five feet nine inches tall. He had wavy green hair that reached to his upper back, one dark green eye and one red eye, and wore what appeared to be a buckled leather eyepatch with a dial over his right eye.
His clothing consisted of a black shirt under a dark green coat with gold buttons, a long red scarf, a dual-buckled belt, and black gloves and boots (with buckled belts around both).
This was Granolah, former police officer of the CCP, and captain of the Granolah Troop.
"Looks like everybody's present today. That's good." Granolah said in an even but professional tone. "I take it that everyone had an exceptional amount of sleep."
Yes sir," Everyone but Trunks responded.
The Cerealian took a moment to stare at the eldest Saiyan Hybrid and noticed a perplexing expression that he had.
Dare he thought it was…excitement.
Nodding slowly, Granolah turned his direction over to Trunks and said, "Looks like someone's got a fire in their eyes. Eager for the solo mission, are you, Briefs?"
"Perhaps I am, sir." Trunks said with an edge of anxiousness, not wanting to stall for time any longer.
"Alright, then. Let's put that eagerness to good use, team." Granolah said as he opened up the silver briefcase.
While gathering around their captain, the three younger Time Patrolmen recognized the four black cybernetic wrist rings.
Granolah then turned to Sho and said, "Sho, if you would?"
Nodding, Sho took out her laptop. She then accessed the operating system that linked to the devices, causing the wrist watches to light up with electric blue light as the Capsule Corporation logo flashed at the center circular dial that also acted as a holographic peripheral projector.
"Chrono Shifter Rings are all online and functioning at full capacity," The black haired beauty stated as she then pulled out a few Dynacaps.
"Excellent," Granolah said as he passed the Chrono Shifter Rings around to the other patrollers.
The Cerelian then started handing out Parallel Quests to each patroller and explained its content to each of them.
Granolah first walked over to Uub.
"Uub, you'll be heading to an alternate version of Age 789. On the particular date of your assignment, the Machine Mutant Baby will be running rampant by possessing the inhabitants of Earth. However, another artificial Tsufurian creation from a parallel reality has somehow found itself stranded in this time and has merged with Baby. Your job is to buy enough for that timeline's Goku to go Super Saiyan Level Four and help him defeat that monster. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" Uub saluted after taking his Parallel Quest scroll from his superior.
Granolah nodded as he turned to Pan as he handed her assignment to the girl.
"Pan, you're assigned to a mission in Age 778 in a timeline different from the events you know." Granolah explained. "In this timeline, the grandson of Dr. Gero had been commissioned by the new leader of the reorganized Red Ribbon Army. He created powerful Androids; Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 to take revenge on your family and family friends. But most notably, he was forced to create an even more dangerous and powerful version of Gero's greatest weapon; Cell. But this Cell was prematurely awakened, causing it to rampage like a wild animal without the control and cunning of his predecessor. Your father and Piccolo along with a few members of the Dragon Team were supposed to work together to take Cell, or rather, "Cell MAX" down. In this continuity, however, Artificial Human models
No. 13, 14, and 15 have been discovered and unleashed by Red Ribbon leader Magenta. Your mission is to destroy Androids No. 13, 14, and 15. Then, you must buy enough time for your father to transform so that he can finish the job with Cell MAX. Think you can handle that?"
Pan, after grabbing the assignment scroll, saluted enthusiastically, stating, "You can count on me, sir! Consider them scrapped!"
Granolah almost chuckled at this before turning Trunks with his Parallel Quest assignment.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the being known as Majin Buu, correct? Well as you might know, the battle took place on the Sacred Realm of the Kai where Goku defeated him by charging up the Super Spirit Bomb as Vegeta and the robust Majin Buu held off the chaotic child-sized Pure Majin Buu. The chaotic and Pure form of Majin Buu however has expelled the evil from his body to even the odds, which makes the situation even more dire due to them being two incarnations of Buu to fight. Briefs, your mission is to provide extra backup and defeat the Evil Buu so the events as intended can proceed. You cannot fail this assignment under any circumstances." Granolah sternly questioned, treating Trunks more harshly than the others given his previous track record for messing with a timeline.
Trunks nodded, grabbing the assignment scroll as he said, "I won't let you down, Captain."
"I'll hold you to that, Briefs." Granolah said with a firm nod. "Don't make me regret misplacing this trust."
Sho then called to her colleagues, stating, "Okay guys, gather around. I got your essential capsules. I've packed standard issue Patroller Scouters, medicinal and first-aid equipment, Ki-Sealing Handcuffs, the Q-Buster (Quantum Buster) guns for each of you. As a protocol, you all must remember to use that gun sparingly as any energy using targets could develop Delay Onset Energy Disorder if fired at them more than twice. Make sure to keep it to yourself and do not lose it."
When everybody got a hold of their items, Granolah grabbed a hold of his Chrono Shifter Ring and placed it on his wrist.
"I wish you three good luck on your missions. You can either use your Scouters or Chrono Shifter Rings to communicate with each other and Sho, who will be your navigator." Granolah stated as he set the exact date of his own mission on his Chrono Shifter Ring. "If you need me, I'll be aiding Goku while battling Frieza and Cooler on Planet Namek in Age 762. You have your orders, now dispatch!"
"Right away, sir!" The three Time Patrollers cried in response before setting their own coordinates to the correct date.
The four patrollers then pressed down on the button, enveloping them in a light blue light before being flung into the Time Gate at speeds indescribable.
Sho stared at the Time Gate and thought aloud, "Good luck out there, Briefs."
-Three Hours Later, Within Timestream-
Trunks found himself traveling in the timestreak, now just coming back from his mission. And judging from the accomplished smirk on his face, it was safe to say that the eldest child of Vegeta was successful in his mission.
This happened to be true, as Trunks managed to defeat and destroy the Evil Majin Buu that the Pure Buu spawned with the support of a variant of Vegeta while both in Super Saiyan Level Two. A Father-Son Super Galick Gun was a touching moment for him on a personal note. Interestingly enough, Goku still managed to summon the Large Spirit Bomb made up of Earth's energy, but Pure Buu managed to send it back at Goku due to the Dragon Team not gathering the Dragon Balls in time to wish for Goku's energy to be restored. However, instead of killing the Saiyan, Buu unintentionally caused Goku to unknowingly enter the incomplete but powerful state of Ultra Instinct Sign. With this power and moving autonomously, Goku weaved through several of Buu's energy blasts and landed a Divine Kamehameha that erased Pure Buu from the world of the living. Even if it was not what exactly happened in the timeline he altered, Goku's triumph over the enemy remained intact which was good enough for Trunks to leave that timeline to head back to Conton City.
"Phew, thank goodness Father and I were able to pull that off. If I had come a tad later, he may have been killed by both Pure Buu and his Evil counterpart. And even as Super Saiyan Level Three, Goku-san wouldn't have been able to handle two Majin Buus. Not to mention that the Innocent Buu was too exhausted to help out." Trunks sighed as he flew through the timestream. "What's more incredible was Goku-san's sudden raw showcase of his unrefined Ultra Instinct! What are the odds that Buu would put him in a similar situation that the Tournament of Power would do in a few years? That guy's more surprising than that of the stories Mother described him in."
'It makes me wonder about the limits of my own power. How far can I take my power?' Trunks thought to himself before accessing the communicator function of his Chrono Shifter Ring.
"Sho-san, do you read me?" Trunks spoke towards his Chrono Shifter Ring. "It's Trunks."
"Copy that. Talk to me, Briefs-san." Sho spoke from her end.
"My mission's been accomplished, so I'm heading back to base right now." Trunks said, thoroughly satisfied with the power boost he was granted upon healing his wounds with a technique Lord Shin taught him in his timeline.
"Really, you finished your task that quickly? Well color me impressed, Briefs-san. You managed to out pace Captain Granolah. Just don't mention it to him out loud. He might dock your pay." Sho lightly joked.
Trunks let out a dry laugh as he thought to himself, 'Knowing the captain, he just might do so if tempted. Better not yank the pin off that grenade.'
Sho called, "Hey Briefs? Are you still there?"
"Yeah, I am," Trunks responded.
"Since you've been working hard lately, how about we head over to the food court in the Rrecreatin Plaza for lunch this afternoon? My treat." Sho offered.
Trunks blinked in astonishment, not knowing how to feel at the hospitality he was being shown.
"Uh… A-Are you sure? I mean, not that I don't appreciate your offer Sho-san, but you do know that-"
"-That a Saiyan's appetite could outmatch several countries-worth of starving humans. Yes, I'm well aware. Fortunately for you, I'm well off financially as a prestigious scientist and engineer to afford that kind of spending. What do you say, Briefs-san?"
"...Hm. You know what? What the hell. I'll take you up on your offer. But only if I pay you back somehow. I don't like being in debt to anybody and not paying my dues in full." Trunks said, meaning every word that he stated with earnestness.
"Honorable, are we? Okay then. A meal from me for a favor from you. Consider it done." Sho answered on through the communicator.
Now excited to return to Conton City for a normal social gathering, Trunks increased the traveling speed with his energy. This was effective, as he could see the Time Gate that was surrounded by a light construct in the shape of a gear from a long distance.
He would have passed through no problem, hadn't been for a strange and dangerous phenomenon that occured.
In front of Trunks, an ominous dark violet portal appeared. A man passed through the portal, as he was revealed to be roughly as tall as Goku or a few inches taller. He closely resembled the species of the infamous Universe 6 Assassin, Hit. However, unlike the Chronoans, he sprouted large tentacles from his head. Over his gray skin he wore white Galactic Patrol armor with blue gems, and a dark red sash over black pants. The Former Galactic Patrolman also wielded a black staff with a white knob.
This caused Trunks to halt his movement while the Chrono Shifter Ring was still functioning.
"...W-What the hell!?" Trunks gasped, not believing what he was seeing. "How are you here? Where did you come from?"
"Finally, I am free," The mysterious gray man said evenly before gazing at the cautious Saiyan Hybrid with narrowed analytical red eyes. "So, you're the infamous new "Time Breaker" that those children playing time officers are ranting about these days…You don't look special to me."
'New Time Breaker? What is he talking about?' Trunks questioned himself as Sho spoke through the communicator in his Chrono Shifter Ring.
"Briefs-san? I heard another voice. I thought you've completed your mission! Who was that speaking to you?"
"I don't know, Sho-san! He just came out of nowhere while I was travelli-AUGH!" Trunks started explaining before being hit by the thrust of the gray man's staff.
Trunks felt himself being pushed back several feet until he used his ki to stop him from floating elsewhere. Noticing that the man was rushing towards him with his staff in hand, Trunks powered up into Super Saiyan and pulled out his broadsword to engage his new opponent.
The two clashed weapons and feet, with Trunks being put on the defensive much faster than he could ever anticipate. The gray former Galactic Patrolman not only was stronger than anybody Trunks has fought before outside of Elite Time Patroller Goku and Elite Time Patroller Vegeta, but he seemed to have an edge in combat experience.
Trunks tried switching up his strategy by sending an After Image to rush at his opponent. The mysterious stranger stood still, allowing the illusion to pass through. From afar, he noticed Trunks floating above him as he fired a Burning Attack at the foe. The foe, however, smacked the energy sphere away, only for Trunks to reappear overhead with his broadsword's descending blade to cleave the gray stranger in half like Mecha Frieza.
Unfortunately for Trunks, the former Galactic Patrolman intercepted this attack by using his staff to shield him from such a gruesome end and effortlessly knocked Trunks' sword away from the gray warrior's head and landed a roundhouse kick that sent Trunks flying back while horizontally spinning.
"Merely changing your hair color won't do you any good, boy. Best you get serious before I send you to the Next Dimension." The gray man said evenly.
Trunks managed to recover from the kick he received as the lavendered haired man wiped his bloodied mouth.
'Shit! That was foul! Even as a Super Saiyan, I'm being beaten with no effort! And he's reading my every move like it's clear as day! And I doubt the second level will make him budge. This guy…whoever he is, he's no ordinary warrior nor is he a variant of someone I know. I better give everything I got if I want to survive this encounter!' Trunks thought to himself as he began to transform.
With a mighty shout, Trunks increased the intensity of his power which caused his muscle mass to grow twice as big and his hair to lengthen. Instead of a bluish white, baby blue electricity surged from his being as an inner aura of Genki that was of the same color surrounded him. His teal irises had suddenly vanished as a passionate rage consumed Trunks for a split second before they returned due to the man's concentration and control over said rage.
With the power of hope and sheer willpower, Super Saiyan Rage Trunks Briefs had appeared to challenge the mysterious gray warrior.
The former Galactic Patrolman raised a brow, wondering aloud, "Interesting form. But will it be enough to overcome me?"
Channeling the life energy into his sword, Trunks converted his blade into the Sword of Hope.
Holding the weapon up, the pride and aggression flared in the Time Patroller as Trunks declared, "Don't take me lightly, bastard! One strike with this blade should be more than enough to finish you!"
When three seconds passed, Trunks charged with his blade and swung at his opponent. And while it did hit something, Trunks found himself gasping in fear to see that his gray foe had caught Sword of Hope.
"To think that you're supposed to be my replacement. Pathetic." The former Galactic Patrolman spat before shattering the Sword of Hope to pieces and pushed Trunks away with his staff as the Saiyan Hybrid sheathed his now normal broadsword.
"N-No…! That was my strongest attack!" Trunks stuttered as he reverted back to his base form. "What kind of monster is he!?"
"Is that so?" The man questioned as he slowly approached Trunks by floating towards him. "How unfortunate for you. Now, let me show you the strength of my resolve."
In a flash, the gray man proceeded to beat the living hell out of Trunks with nothing but his hands, staff, and feet. There was no rest for the young man, as every punch, kick, and hit impacted Trunks felt like he was taking blows from both Elite Time Patrollers (Goku and Vegeta) at the same time. Bones were on the verge of breaking, bruises and welts formed on his face and body, and the blunt concussive force of each attack might have caused a form of damage toward Trunks' mind.
In the middle of the one sided onslaught, Sho had been trying to get her colleague's attention since the skirmish's audio was being picked up on her end. All that she could get out of Trunks was the desperate pleas for help and assistance. Sadly, his team hadn't come back from their missions yet nor were Chronoa and Gogeta.
He was all alone.
By the time the former Galactic Patrolman was finished physically assaulting Trunks, he had his left hand wrapped around the Time Patroller's neck tight.
"Briefs-san? Briefs-san, do you read me!" Sho screamed through the communicator of Trunks' Chrono Shifter Ring. "Damn it! Say something, Trunks!"
Trunks groaned lightly as the pain he was in proved too much for him to form words.
The gray man scoffed, saying, "These are the warriors that Chronoa have been recruiting to succeed my team? My Time Patrol? This hopeless boy doesn't even have the resolve to refuse death, let alone continue fighting! This is blasphemous! What a mockery to our legacy!"
Before the gray man could decide what to do with Trunks, his entire being suddenly being pulled in the dark violet portal.
'W-What!? This feeling-!' The gray man thought in his mind in a manner as close to panic as possible. 'No! My presence is returning to that blasted abyss!'
Hearing the ringing of a feminine voice, the gray man noticed the small device from one of Trunks' wrists.
'That's where that noise is coming from. It must be how Chronoa is tracking her lap dogs. Hmph, I bet that's how they're moving through the flow of time.' The former Galactic Patrolman thought as he fired two eye beams to overheat the device, damaging Trunks' Chrono Shifter Ring. 'I might not be strong enough to fully break free yet. Hmph, I'll have to gather the energy needed.'
With the last bit of time he had, the gray foe threw the heavily injured Trunks away from Conton City's Time Gate, sending him far away from the Saiyan Hybrid's initial desired location until he found himself passing into a stray Time Gate that led him to an alternate reality.
Trunks could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, thinking, 'No! T-This…can't be…the end…! I must…survive…!'
Cracking a small grin upon watching Trunks' body being sent to a farway Time Gate, the gray warrior thought to himself, 'I may have some use for that fool after all. Just you wait, Master. We'll be reuniting sooner than you realize.'
Without a word or the least bit of a struggle, the gray man was dragged through the dark violet portal. But not before sending a small round black sphere to Trunks' way.
And what had become of the Time Patroller Trunks Briefs? The figure had become a figure lost in an altered reality, with no means of returning back to the fate he was put in Conton City. Will he be able to rectify his situation? Only time will tell what may come next.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
What's up everyone, DSG is back here with a PRIMAL-related project.
The plot of this side story has been on my mind for a long time since I started PRIMAL almost three years ago. Or rather, I wanted to use Future Trunks in the PRIMAL setting. So, I consulted with UltimateDemonBeast65 while brainstorming on how to execute the task. And what we came up with was a non-canon alternate ending to Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL in the form of a small mini-series.
With that being said, Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL- War of the XenoVerse is set after the end of PRIMAL's Wheelo/Dark Revolution Saga.
In the PRIMAL continuity, Future Trunks becomes a jaded version of Time Patroller (Xeno) Trunks upon a more serious Chronoa follows true to her word and punishes both Trunks and his mother for screwing with time travel. Due to their actions, Future Trunks essentially made any and all possibilities (original movies/GT/Super Anime, Manga, and modern movies) of the Dragon Ball mythos (with the exception of World's Strongest, Tree of Might, Lord Slug, and Revenge of Cooler films since they are natural alternate timelines). This story is a darker alternate take on the origin of Trunks' days as a Time Patroller.
Speaking of Xeno counterparts, not only will I not be referring to any of Time Patroller counterparts of preexisting characters with the prefix word "Xeno", but I will also be changing lore about the Warriors of Light and how the creation of the Time Patrol came to be.
For example, the "Xeno" variants of Goku and Vegeta aren't exactly here. While PRIMAL's take on Time Patroller Son Goku and Time Patroller Prince Vegeta VI look like their "Xeno" counterparts, they are much older variants that have not only lived a full life but after death, have acquired Godly ki through training with Whis and Beerus. And eventually, they achieved the highest level of power they could, including mastering Super Saiyan Level Four and their own forms of Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego.
Therefore, I've decided to refer to them as Zenith Goku and Vegeta. And if using the Metamoran method of fusion, Zenith Gogeta. These two were from one of the first altered timelines that branched off after Trunks' time-traveling shenanigans and were currently Chronoa's strongest warriors in the Time Patrol. They were approached by Chronoa in their reality's Other World and decided to join her cause after being revived. As a unique trait, Zenith Goku and Zenith Vegeta's rivalry have long since vanished after their final clash and being dead for a number of years and were comfortable with staying in a fused state for long periods of time thanks to Chronoa's power.
Time Patroller Granolah is from a branched-off timeline of the Super manga that Gogeta recruited before he wished to be the strongest in his timeline's universe by the Ceralian Dragon Balls. And while he's slowly working on himself and still doesn't like Saiyans in general, Granolah doesn't let his personal feelings get in the way of his morals and business ethics. He used to work for the Conton City Police Department but was sent to the Time Patrol as a team captain.
Time Patroller Pan is a teenage variant of Gohan and Videl's daughter who experienced the ending of Dragon Ball GT in her timeline. One of the patrolmen that traveled to her reality managed to run into her and offer Pan an invitation to Conton City for a chance to join the cause. She did so (with the blessing of her parents at the behest of Mr. Satan and Chi-Chi) under the condition that she spent her holidays off with the family. Needless to say, Pan completed her schooling and was placed on Granolah's team.
Time Patroller Uub is another matter. He was raised by Zenith Goku in Toki Toki City after stumbling on a timeline where Goku Black was purging humanity of their lives right after swiping Goku's body and slaying his family. Seeing that he was a threat to the timestream, Zenith Goku unleashed his True Ultra Instinct and crushed Goku Black with his Divine Ki Giant Battle Avatar. Once he was finished dealing with Black, Zenith Goku was approached by Uub's dying mother to take care of him. Recognizing who he was, Zenith Goku took the boy and left his timeline to ask Chronoa to take the baby in as his disciple. Chronoa, while not happy at the situation, initially allowed Goku to do if he eventually enrolled in the Patrol Academy. As Uub grew up and trained under his master, he was taken to meet one of his former half's variants (Mr./Fat Buu) to absorb him. He did so, graduated from the Patrol Academy, and became a member of Granolah's team alongside his classmate and close friend, Pan.
Sho, who was originally from Dragon Ball Online has a similar story to her game counterpart here, but it's flipped on its head. In this continuity, she was a smart girl who fell too hard times because of the boiling tension between the several factions the world she lived in had. She ran with the Paella Gang in hopes to gain wealth. However, after Paella made his intentions known in desiring to take over the world, Sho left the gang and was on the run from the authorities. Though, she managed to escape law enforcement via mistaking an old Time Machine for a vintage jetcopter. A similar fate to Trunks was given to Sho but on a much lesser scale. Her engineering skills and technological knowledge made her an invaluable asset to the Time Patrol, which was why Time Patroller Vegeta assigned her to Granolah's team.
There will be differences and changes compared to the extended media that was presented. For instance, Dragon Ball Heroes/Super Dragon Ball Heroes' lore about the arcade machine will not be present here. Time Patrollers who came from Heroes like Beat will simply be in-multiverse characters that traveled to Conton City from their branched-off timeline to enroll in Patrol Academy or support Conton City's economy to fund the Time Patrol. However, this story will be based on Super Dragon Ball Heroes' World Mission storyline. Note that in this continuity, Trunks was not the one who helped Chronoa come up with Time Patrol. It existed for a long time, put the influx of members after Trunks' antics had caused the several members of the temporal agency into an entire metropolis filled with people from different eras. Toki Toki City, once a small unnamed hub for Chronoa and her disciples, had to create a city which would be renovated to Conton City for an entire population of aspiring Patrolmen and Patrolwomen that are ready to protect the timestream due to the influx of alternate timelines that Trunks created.
The small time-traveling devices are called Chrono Shifter Rings, and they take the appearance of the Hero Switch.
In conclusion, this will be a finale to cap off Future Trunks' character within the PRIMAL universe. This will be a story that breaks him down to his lowest point, rebuilds him as a person, and will ultimately lead him to discover the hope that he once had. But not for the future he had perceived to be in his timeline, but for the future of his life. In other words, this is a Future Trunks redemption story.
Please let me know what you guys think about the prologue by leaving a review. If you have questions revolving around anything PRIMAL related, go and read Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL for the context of Universe 7-?. That story takes place after the Cell Games where Gohan never stopped training and took his father's death to heart. Anyway, I'll see you later!
-DarkShadowGames451
