Trunks stared at his mother and Tora with disbelief at the explanation that they had just given him. It just didn't make sense. Time travel? Bullcrap.
"You're me, but older," Trunks repeated, but didn't believe any of it, somehow. Tora had barely cleaned up.
"Yes, well I am technically younger than you because you were born before I was, but that's besides the point."
"How?!"
"When big Trunks visited for the first time, two years before you were born, it changed the course of history, and you were born earlier than he was," Bulma explained.
"But why is the name different then?"
"To-ra-n-ku-su," Bulma winked. "This silly boy uses only the first two syllables."
"You're the native Trunks in this world, so I use my nickname instead," Tora finally managed to explain, flushed.
"So your name is Trunks, like me," Trunks still tried making sense of it and couldn't believe it, and Tora nodded quietly. "Can I see your real papers?"
Tora pondered for a moment, she thought hard about what she could show that wouldn't reveal their fundamental difference, even if at this point, she should just.. go ahead. But no, she just couldn't, not as things stood. Trunks' tears had dried out of sheer shock, throwing at him an extra identity crisis was not worth it. She tapped her pockets and pulled out her wallet, to check if she still had what she thought about. Behind some cards, she pulled an old one, and slid it over for Trunks and Bulma to see.
Her school ID, before she dropped out of school for good. The same school Trunks went to, the same class from the previous year, the same ID number, the card was almost identical, with the exception of her date of birth, and the photo showed a version of Trunks with longer, pulled back hair. Trunks couldn't help but recognize his own traits: stern, soul-stealing blue eyes, tan, honey-like skin, light lavender hair and eyebrows, and a mean scowl that Bulma kept saying was identical to Vegeta's.
"This was in April 773, I saw six. I cut my hair short like yours afterwards." 'This summer, actually.'
".. But you're not seven."
"No, I'm nineteen."
"Why do you have long hair but I don't?" Trunks had to ask. Bulma thought her alternate son with long hair, even as a kid, looked adorable.
"We weren't raised the same, I did not have Papa to train me," Tora explained without giving a chance to Bulma to say anything about it.
"Why?"
"Because in my world, Papa died when I was a tiny baby. That is why Mama made a Time Machine, so I could make sure Papa didn't die."
"The power of love!" Bulma chuckled. She knew the reason wasn't exactly that, but Tora explaining it like that made more sense.
"Ewww!" Trunks' reaction was as expected, and the adults couldn't help but chuckle. "Wait, that means my Mama is your Mama too?"
"Exactly," Bulma insisted. "I have two wonderful, very handsome sons," she added, trying to put an arm around Tora, but Tora firmly held her away, a little coldly. Bulma sighed and let go.
"No. Your Mama, while she has the same name and face as Mother, isn't my mother. She's yours and yours alone. To me, she's a good Auntie," Tora smiled warmly and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Bulma-san, Mother is Mother."
"What about Papa?" Trunks wasn't convinced and had to insist about something that intrigued him. "If your Papa is dead, do you want me to share mine?"
Tora hesitated, and Bulma kept silent, quite interested in how to navigate that unique situation.
"I.. don't know."
"He's a little grumpy and is not nice, and isn't affectionate like Mama, but he's super strong."
"He's your Papa, not mine, but we do have a bond," Tora admitted.
"Wait—" Trunks suddenly realized. "Auntie Tights is Mama? I don't want two Mamas!"
Tora couldn't help a chuckle. Where her 787 counterpart had accepted all Bulmas as his mother, this Trunks was more like her, having more than enough with just one mother. Auntie Tights was nice and affectionate, but she was a little too much for the boy...
.
A little more confusing explanation later, and some apologies for having hidden the truth from this very bright child who, being a Brief, would obviously find out the truth, things were cleared for Trunks. The boy promised he would keep the information secret from regular people, including Goten (because Goten was too young to understand some big-brain things), and agreed to keep using 'Auntie Tights' and 'big brother Tora' despite now knowing the true identities of their visitors.
Trunks threw a little piece of bread at his mother, and scolding her for such a terrible joke, when she mentioned she could finally call them both her 'lovely pair of Trunks' and Tora grumbled in embarrassment.
By the time everything ironed out, Tora went to find Vegeta, and admitted to him it had been a bad idea to lie to Trunks as he found out. Trunks followed suit and the three of them found themselves in the Gravity Room.
"Tsk, he too has that 'Trunks-fucking-Brief' brain, doesn't he?" was the only logical scolding Vegeta gave her in between light spars while Trunks was warming up.
"I guess. I guess I should be happy you weren't threatened in your parental role, nor did you believe I might have actually been Trunks' father," Tora couldn't help but think it could have gone horribly wrong.
"Pfft, even with the whole 'Earthlings can have kids by accident', the boy's clearly my seed, as much as you are."
"So I just got a new big bro, like Goten, cool! Hey, you better be stronger than Gohan," Trunks interjected with a bright competitive smile.
"You heard the boy. Gohan's been slacking off, I want you both to be better than Kakarot's spawns."
.
"Papa, I'm sorry I doubted you were my real papa," Trunks eventually said when the two took a break.
"I don't care for your apologies, boy. Fight me instead, and seriously. The two of you. Computer, 150G."
Tora couldn't help but appreciate the strange bond the two of them had. She understood why Trunks didn't feel Vegeta's care and doubted his love for him, though, and she would have to try and educate him on the matter, but there was no doubt the boy admired his father more than anything in the world.
She finished her drink just before Gravity hit, tied her hair back again, higher, and got ready to obey and give Vegeta a run for his money.
"If you land a hit on me, boy, I'll take you to that 'amusement park' thing you keep talking about," Vegeta added with confidence.
"Alright 'little-me', let's show this old man what he got himself into. You lead, I'll follow."
Their father had to smirk, there was still some Saiyan pride in there somewhere and Vegeta slowly built power. Trunks, confident as usual, and especially motivated as the prize offered was one that he valued greatly, decided to give it his all and trust his ally: himself.
Trunks was used to fighting Gohan with Goten, and while his teamwork with his best friend was flawless, Tora was decently skilled at working around him. The two were fast, but Vegeta knew them both in and out, and in base, he was just that more skilled.
What he didn't expect was how much the prize meant to Trunks, and after a while only really defending, when Tora phased out of the way and Trunks, who was hiding behind her punched Vegeta straight in the face, he countered and punched back, hard. Trunks was sent flying and landed with a thud on his back, tears forming in his eyes. That stopped the exercise at least for the time being.
"I never said I wouldn't fight back, boy, now get up!" Vegeta barked, and Trunks obeyed, standing up and rubbing the pain out of his face.
"He succeeded, on his own," Tora noted.
"Fine, thirty minutes in the park it is." Vegeta grumbled. "Continue and don't hold back!"
That was enough to reinvigorate Trunks to try again, the shock forcing him to hold back his tears. H
Tapion had spent the better part of the morning with Tights and Bulma trying to localize his planet, and managed to find Konats. The southern quadrant wasn't exactly next door, but once everything was solved, a way home was possible.
With Tights and Bulma's help, Tapion also decided on a place where they could try and get rid of Hirudegarn for good. The women were trusting of their allies' strengths, and considering the stories of Freeza and other monsters they had encountered, the full support and trust of the planet's Guardian, and even special training by their Kaio-sama, Tapion decided it was worth trying. He was but a vessel, a jailor, after all.
If push came to shove, they could always lock the halves back into their bodies and Tora would kill them both, as promised. He then exchanged spots with Minoshia, to rest a little before that fateful battle.
They decided that evening would be the right time, and informed Tora as soon as she left the Gravity Room so she could gather everyone.
The two half-breeds were left exhausted by Vegeta's spite and willingness to teach them something. Thankfully hunger stopped their session before they were completely done for, and after food, a shower and a change of clothes, Vegeta made good on his promise to take Trunks to the amusement park. Minoshia being now awake was offered to come along by Trunks, and before Vegeta could protest, he gained one extra runt for the trip. With a cute cat-beanie, reminiscent of the one Trunks wore as a baby and Tora used to hide her hair seven years prior so she wouldn't be recognized as the lavender-haired fighter in the Cell Games, Minoshia hid her ears and hair and went along to play with Trunks, quite happy to discover what this whole 'amusement park' thing was all about.
Said amusement park was an annoyance for Vegeta, but he put up with it for exactly thirty minutes with the kids who focused on trying as many things as possible on such a limited time. Trunks was happy to share this moment with Minoshia, she was far more interesting than his classmates, but he mostly appreciated how Vegeta was watching over him from afar. Even if he didn't care to see him succeed at the games and did not go on the rides with them, he was there and it was more than Vegeta had ever given him.
Tora took the opportunity to rest, going back to her mother while Tapion was resting and Minoshia, Trunks and Vegeta were out. She didn't care to be childish and demand affection from her mother, nuzzling and cuddling right out of the shower and melting under the scratches. Tights was informed that Trunks had thought Tora was his biological father, and things had to be cleared out with Bulma. Strangely, Vegeta hadn't been offended, and Tights couldn't help but laugh; of course Trunks would find out.
In the late afternoon, Tora then went through the motions of giving a few (long delayed) phone calls.
First, to Kame House, where she got a hold of Krillin.
"Krillin-san. It's Tora."
"Oh Trunks! Finally giving us a call, eh?"
"I am sorry, I was—"
"Busy, I know, we felt it, don't worry about it. Good job on the Millennia building, by the way, with Gohan— I mean, The Great Saiyaman and the Golden Defender saved a lot of people." Krillin teased with joy and willing to play.
"The.. oh. The fire. Yes. Bulma-san said you became a police officer?" Tora had to change the subject, she loathed the attention.
"It's a good way to help people, get a stable income, and keep in shape— Hey, don't give her soda this late!" Krillin scolded someone else, and Tora could hear sounds of a toddler protesting something.
"Should I call back later?"
"No it's alright, it got solved. Here my little darling. Things have changed over the past seven— wait, how long has it been for you?"
"About five months. I came back in January and with Mother, we boarded the Time Machine in May 784."
"Must be weird seeing little-you all grown-up all of the sudden. Wait your mom too?"
"Yes. I would appreciate it if you called me Tora in front of everyone, it's better for Trunks' sense of identity, even if he knows I'm basically him. Mother goes by 'Tights'."
"Alright as you wish," Krillin wasn't certain, he worried about Tora's own sense of identity, but it wasn't his place, Tora had boundaries and a strong sense of privacy. "Anyway, can I help you with anything? You don't strike me as the kind to call just to chat." Krillin probed. He'd felt something the previous night, as well as a couple of weeks prior, and he matched two and two together.
"Yes. Do you remember the story I told in 787, about Tapion and the sword?"
".. Oh crap, that was what it was?"
"Yes. Mother chose this date with this precise situation in mind, just in case and it turned out to be right. Except it was not Tapion, but his sibling. Long story short, Tapion is here too, both halves are locked in their bodies, but we may have an idea. Piccolo-san and Dende believe we can solve this with the Mafuba. An extra pair of hands would be helpful, since we intend on striking first, tonight."
"Sounds dangerous. But we'll come. We owe you as much."
"We?"
"..."
"Krillin-san?"
".. You are calling from the Capsule Corp landline, right?"
"Yes...?"
"Accept the video call, it'll be easier."
With that, Krillin launched the video call instead of the regular phone call, which Tora knew from her own home and from 787's Capsule Corp.
Krillin wasn't shocked in the slightest to see Tora look absolutely identical to seven years ago, albeit the hair had grown a little. The front parts still reached the jaw, but what he saw of the ponytail was almost down to the shoulderblades.
Tora, however, was surprised to see Krillin with a full head of black hair and a little blonde girl in his arms with pigtails and ribbons. Like him, the girl had no nose, and she certainly had his eyes too. If she judged from her size, she was maybe two years old. Tora didn't doubt for an instant they were related.
"This is Marron. Marron, say hi, this is big brother Tora."
"Hi Marron-chan," Tora waved and the little girl gave a shy smile.
A movement caught Tora's eye on the screen, as another inhabitant of Kame House moved towards the telephone.
"Did I hear Trunks' voice?"
Tora recognized the female voice, and by the time Eighteen was on screen, leaning over Krillin's shoulder, Tora had taken notice of their appearance and similarities. Eighteen hadn't changed her haircut, nor her appearance at all; like Seventeen she had not aged a day. The denim sleeveless top suited her. Her earrings were now bright studs, rather than the hoops she had made sure to give to Tora all those years ago through Seventeen. Tora just stared, silent.
"Ugh, rude," Eighteen rolled her eyes and took Marron in her own arms.
"Woah," the dots connected for Tora as she slowly blinked. "You have a child. Together."
Krillin blushed but also beamed, proud and giving a loving glance to his wife.
"Yeah. We got married a little under four years ago. Marron is two and a half."
"I.. Well. Woah. Eighteen, you look good. You both look good and happy. Congratulations…?" Tora wasn't exactly sure how to take the news. Clearly, these Cyborgs weren't like her own.
"You've been around for a few weeks and you only call now for a favor? Rude. Very rude."
"I'm sorry—"
"I'm fucking with you, Trunks, geez. Get Seventeen to ride you and get you to relax a bit."
Krillin promptly put his hands over his daughter's ears and mumbled something about adult content, and Tora just got redder.
"I.. will keep that in mind," Tora wanted to discard the subject of her past relation to Seventeen, and ignored that she would indeed need to call him next, actually. "We are going to kill a monster before he reaches his full potential. Tonight. On the northwest of the continent, Blackbird island, for minimal damage."
"We'll help you out for free this once," Eighteen had agreed already. "And you better buy something from the registry, because you're late for both the wedding and the baby shower."
Krillin laughed, but Eighteen's deadpan face had Tora conflicted about whether she meant it or not.
They bid their farewells, and Tora took a moment to process everything, then go tell her mother that Krillin and Eighteen are married and have a daughter. Which was something Bulma knew already and appreciated Tights and Tora's mind-blown expressions when they discussed it. Truly, their Time Machine had changed so much. Obviously Syowa also knew, which explained the mischief glint in her eyes when she had told Tora 'Lazuli was busy as of late'.
The phone call to Seventeen was a little more straight to the point.
"Seventeen."
"Never heard of him", the voice taunted.
"Lapis."
"Hey Tora. A little early for a booty call."
"... That's not—"
"I'm fucking with you."
"You think you're being cute?" Tora's patience was running thin, she walked right into the twins' traps twice already and hated herself for it.
"Please, I'm adorable. Alright, what's up?"
"I am having so many regrets. Big demon-monster. Going to draw it out and kill it before it comes out himself full power."
"Ok. I mean thanks for the heads up?"
"Do you remember I tried a special technique against Cell?"
"... The thing where you used your energy after he kicked Vegeta in the nuts? Yes."
"That's what we're using. With a Plan B and Plan C, just in case, but we prepared this. You and Eighteen can't be sensed, it might come in handy."
"She's game?"
"Yes— Did you know she had a daughter? With Krillin-san?!"
"Please, I attended the wedding, I was even the flower girl."
".."
"Ok, I wasn't the flower girl, I actually crashed the wedding. Small itty bitty committee thing, couldn't resist. Yeah, he's not like the guys she dated prior so they're good. I guess."
".. Good, I guess?"
"Anyway I'm game for your thing. Sixteen's coming too."
"Tonight, Blackbird island."
Tora then briefly explained what the creature was, what the plan was, requested to be called Tora in front of everyone and to pass the message over to Sixteen, just in case.
She sighed, exhausted from the extended socialization, the Cyborgs got under her skin far too easily for her own liking.
Next came calling Gohan, to let him and Goten know. Tora left Gohan in charge of dealing with his mother about Goten being allowed to help them out. She would have called Tenshinhan and Yamcha, but she had no idea how, and decided that while it was best if they had as many allies as possible, having too many people could be a problem. They would have to do without.
Then she informed Vegeta and Trunks, and apologized to Bulma for using her son, but Trunks was eager to participate in one of the adventures his mother and Gohan told him about and Bulma made them promise to come back alive. With his father, nothing could go wrong, Trunks argued, and Bulma had to accept.
.
The Konats were ready, wearing their own (clean) clothes and carrying their swords and Ocarinas. Tora hugged her mother, armed and with the armor underneath her black tank top, and Tights wished her victory, holding her close like she had wanted to do every time her daughter rushed to battle without warning. Tora only took a capsule with her; the thermos she had kept ever since she was given, and carried the pot Piccolo had given her.
Bulma wished her family and guests good luck; Vegeta ignored it all, it was a waste of time, he fixed his gloves and was ready to go. Trunks hugged his mom after Tapion and Minoshia gave their thanks and 'perhaps see you soon' tentative hopeful goodbyes, they all went on their way.
Blackbird island was a rocky cold island on the northwest of the continent, right off the coast. It wasn't black ice season, and the birds that gave their name to the island had migrated south for food.
When Tora, Vegeta, Trunks, Tapion and Minoshia reached the island, Seventeen and Sixteen were already there. Tora took notice that Sixteen was wearing a similar uniform to the one Seventeen wore when she saw him a couple of weeks prior; green and white shirt, armband.
Soon, Gohan and Goten joined them, with their own pot and seal. Gohan powered up on the way, just to attract Piccolo's attention, and soon enough the Namekian got the message and told through telepathy to his once-upon-a-time pupil he was on his way. Eighteen and Krillin arrived fairly soon after, and a snarky remark was exchanged between the blonde Cyborg and Vegeta, who walked away from everyone and took a good look at the landscape.
"The Cyborgs?" Piccolo asked Tora, intrigued by their presence after all those years.
"And Android Sixteen," Tora nodded. "Their energy can't be sensed."
"Hm. Worth a shot."
"We never did finish our fight, Piccolo," Seventeen taunted with a bright smile.
"Maybe later," Gohan intervened before they could actually get on with that conversation.
.
Everyone was accounted for, and it became clear that Tapion and Minoshia needed to be asleep for their halves of Hirudegarn to be freed. The two Konats couldn't just lay and sleep on command, but Piccolo promptly took charge of everything and informed them that would easily be solved; he would hypnotize one of them to fall asleep, and Goten and Trunks as well as Sixteen were in charge of taking them out of danger as soon as the monster's half appeared, and making sure nothing harmed Tapion or Minoshia when they played their Ocarina.
Tora's pot and seal were given to Krillin, as he had had experience performing the Mafuba with Tora, the other pot was given to Eighteen, as she remembered the most about that fight when she and her brother were inside Cell, and Tora's sword was given to Sixteen, as a safeguard. Piccolo reminded Krillin and told Eighteen that their role was to catch the wave, close the lid and put the seal on it.
Goten and Trunks' role was changed from holding the containers to protect Tapion and Minoshia alongside Sixteen, while the monster was distracted by Piccolo, Vegeta and Gohan.
Seventeen was in charge of protecting Krillin and Eighteen, should they get targeted; Piccolo remembered his barrier technique and the Cyborg agreed it was the best use of his peculiar talents.
"If the Mafuba fails and I am too weak, whoever is the closest will take my sword from Sixteen and cut the monster. Tapion or Minoshia will finish the spell and lock it back in. We will have to do each half individually, else it becomes too powerful." Tora gave her last piece of knowledge.
Clearly all those who remembered the events from seven years prior wanted to prevent a repeat of the Cell fiasco, and Tora's words weighed heavily as such.
"In my world, Tapion gave it his all to lock the fully formed Hirudegarn in his body, so I could kill them both. I would rather avoid that outcome." Tora added, sinister. The boys weren't too keen on that outcome either, but the adults and Gohan knew Tora was capable of following through and do it again, if needed.
.
Once everything was agreed upon and everyone was in position, it was time to give it a shot.
The Legs being less dangerous than the Chest, Piccolo put Minoshia to sleep first, and soon enough the dangerous mist left Minoshia's body to let the bottom half of the monster escape. Goten and Trunks took their role seriously, they carried Minoshia out of the way as soon as the fog appeared, before the foot could step on them and Minoshia's unconscious body.
.
Vegeta, summoning super Saiyan, was quick to jump on the monster for a rematch, but he didn't waste his energy trying to hit the strange giant alien legs which turned into mist to reappear further away. Piccolo and Gohan soon followed suit while the Cyborgs and Krillin placed themselves so that the monster was between them and Tora and Tapion.
.
Tora, moving forward in front of Tapion and Minoshia, removed her hair tie and summoned super Saiyan, feet planted, and slowly called upon further power, ready to build her ki and perform the Mafuba. Her eyes focused on the monster ahead that was being annoyed and attacking its intended targets. She made eye contact with Krillin; he was her preferred partner for the Mafuba, but if needed, Eighteen's pot was just as valid as a target. And Piccolo could always intervene if needed.
.
Goten and Trunks were further behind Tapion, slowly waking Minoshia up, and as soon as the girl was back to her senses and in full control, they joined Tora and Tapion to see the Legs fully form and be attacked relentlessly by, arguably, their three strongest fighters.
Tapion looked at everything going on in awe.
"They could actually do it.." he whispered.
"Papa's the strongest!" Trunks confirmed.
"Na-ah, big bro is stronger," Goten corrected, and the boys started bantering.
This all quickly got on Tora's nerves, and she built more power and growled. She hissed at the kids.
"Focus."
The sudden power surge left the two boys speechless. While Gohan and Vegeta were working their way through their power while fighting the Legs and coordinating to soak a hit and attack back before the monster disappeared, Tora was not the kind to wait around. The boys nodded, apologized and gave their full attention to everything going on.
Under the starlights, the field slowly cleared, and it was easier for everyone to see each other.
Gohan was quick to blast in the Legs direction when they went towards Tora due to her power rising, and redirected successfully the monster's attention. Goten and Trunks gulped and blasted the debris before they reached those they were in charge of protecting, focusing properly on the task at hand.
.
Minoshia started playing the Ocarina by the time dust settled and the field became clearer. Tapion followed suit, and the legs became much more aggressive, which forced Vegeta, Gohan and Piccolo into putting in more power to fight it. Because they needed to let themselves be hit to be able to strike back, the three fighters were becoming injured little by little, but so was Hirudegarn.
"It's starting," Piccolo noted.
"Uh?"
"Fucking magic bullshit," Vegeta growled, the melody a pain to his ears.
Gohan looked puzzled, and he took an instant to glance back and see Minoshia playing. He just couldn't hear it.
"Don't let your guard down!" Piccolo pushed Gohan out of the way to get away from an unexpected hit.
.
Tora kept building power, eyes focused on the enemy as magic affected the creature and it slowly began to still. She made eye-contact and nodded to Krillin, who was in place with the pot. But before she could warn and tell Piccolo, Gohan and Vegeta to move out of the way, she heard a pained scream and the melody stopped abruptly.
Sixteen jumped in to get Tapion out of the way as the tail freed itself from the spell and attacked his way. He was holding his head in one hand, the other firmly holding on to the Ocarina. Tora jumped out of the way herself, interrupting her power building. Goten and Trunks stood ready to intervene should Minoshia be targeted next, but she was not and she promptly jumped further back too, hesitating about playing the instrument again, seeing her brother distraught.
.
What they didn't account for was Tapion unable to hold it in. The mist left his body. The dormant power was too strong to resist the call of its other half. Minoshia using the spell while having Tapion nearby with his own half locked in was bound to create issues.
"No!" Tapion screamed as his half freed itself against his will, the voice only betraying how much pain he was in as the other half of the phantasm pulled out of the portals formed by the eerie mist.
.
Hirudegarn became full, and Tora hissed in anger. Plan A didn't work out as intended, she should have known.
.
The monster was much quicker and more powerful in its full form, its exoskeleton disappearing and appearing and going after everything it could sense… or see, perhaps. The two Cyborgs didn't register in his vicinity, but Sixteen did, mostly due to having been in front of him. Seventeen jumped in on a couple of occasions with his barrier to protect Krillin and to soak incoming hits before Vegeta and Gohan got a hold of themselves and returned to their role. The Cyborgs were exceptionally good at keeping their cool, they didn't give in to panic, not anymore, not since Cell.
Gohan built up more power, and so did Vegeta, calling upon their respective Ascended super Saiyan forms to be able to keep up, while Piccolo strategized. Saiyans were powerhouses of brute force, but he was a tactician first and foremost, and this monster was something they couldn't just overpower. They'd run out of energy soon.
Thankfully Piccolo had also been smart and had taken a few Senzu from Korin before coming to the battlefield. This gave them another chance if they needed one.
.
But unlike what they had planned, Tapion, in his agony, saw the strength the three fighters displayed; tanking the hits and hitting back, harming Hirudegarn. Even in its full form.
Krillin, Eighteen and Seventeen moved back out of reach from the monster and behind; Krillin had attracted attention by being there, but the Cyborgs weren't even noticed by the phantasm.
.
Tora's aura erupted as she went beyond super Saiyan and called on her own Ascended form. She roared at the memory of the monster that had cost her friend's life in another world.
"This changes nothing!" Tora growled. "I can feel Hirudegarn's ki when it attacks," she glanced back at Tapion and Minoshia and started building ki again, forearms crossed in front of her as she focused her power to do the Mafuba as soon as the monster was stilled. At least the target was big, so she would have a hard time to miss.
"Start over!" Piccolo shouted at the Konats.
Goten and Trunks helped Tapion up and nudged him. Minoshia listened to Piccolo and started playing the melody again, trusting these strangers beyond reason. Perhaps it was fate to land on this planet, at this date.
"That means they only have one bad guy to face," Goten encouraged.
"You can do it!" Trunks added, energetic, but also worried about his father.
Tapion heard it, nodded and thanked the boys, and closed his eyes, trusting like his sister did, going through the motions of playing the melody.
.
Piccolo, Vegeta and Gohan were getting tired, but they didn't give up. Vegeta cursed every time he tried landing a hit either too early or too late, he had adjusted to the legs only, but the full monster required much more precise timing.
With the two Ocarinas now playing, the monster thrashed and growled, glowed and attacked more viciously. Gohan and Vegeta each soaked a hand that tried crushing them, blocking them from moving again and attacking that other large beacon of energy nor the source of the magic that was attacking it.
Piccolo fired a powerful Makankosappo in the monster's chest, in hopes of weakening it enough and giving reprieve to Gohan and Vegeta too. Little by little, the monster slowed down.
Tora gritted her teeth, she wanted to jump in, she saw and felt how her father and friend were in pain from fighting the monster, and Piccolo wasn't looking so great either. Goten and Trunks encouraged, but also blasted out of the way anything the monster's tail sent their way, using their energy to clear Tora's vision of the monster when dust rose.
Krillin flew higher in the skies, hoping to be better seen by Tora, and Eighteen went in another direction, mimicking her husband. Visible, and holding the pot.
"MAFUBA!" Tora shouted and projected her energy the moment the monster had fully stopped moving.
Vegeta, Gohan and Piccolo darted out of the way the moment they heard Tora's voice, unwilling to be caught by any of the energy waves that went to envelop the monster. Tora gritted and frowned. The monster was just so big, for the wave to take she needed to fully overcome the monster with her own ki, and she suddenly feared she might not have enough.
Thankfully, the moment Gohan was out of the way, his direction was Tora. He landed behind her and with his hand on her back, he transferred his own ki into her. She tensed and glanced to convey gratitude, and the wave finally started to take.
The boys cheered as clearly whatever they had planned was working. Piccolo took a moment to recover and regenerate some wounds, but kept an eye out for potential danger. Sixteen stood firm, holding the sword in one hand and the capsule in another; he knew the technique, he knew how Tora used it, he had found the initial plan sound. He focused on Minoshia and Tapion, making sure they were safe.
With her arms extended and her eyes going back to find Krillin or Eighteen, the monster roared in the spiral that the wave formed as the Mafuba worked as intended. Tora flared her aura, fed by Gohan's energy, and she gave it her all, taking all that was given to her and focusing the vast amount of energy into the spiral which she took control of and directed towards Krillin.
.
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Alright everyone! Thanks for reading! I need your input now, either on twitter, tumblr or in the comments (or DMs); does the Mafuba succeed, does it fail, do I do a table-turned situation? I have a few options but I'm uncertain about them, so please tell me, how would you like to see this situation be resolved? :D