Dragon Ball GT: Maximum

by Kensh3h

GT is bad, goes without saying. Not nearly as much as Granolah, but still a work of very poor quality that's cemented itself as a contentious topic. To rectify this, in 2021 I decided to rewrite GT to a better standard of writing quality, hopefully living up to the quality of the original manga, with an expanded universe. Constructive criticism is welcome. 17 chapters remaining.

14. Furious Battles on the Icy-Cold Planet I

Chapter 14: Furious Battles On the Icy-cold Planet, Part I

It has been four days since the Dragon Team found their fifth Ultimate Dragon Ball in the deserted spaceship.

"Say, Piccolo-san, why are we headed to the next Dragon Ball so crazy fast? At the speed we've been flying, we'll run out of fuel in the next couple a' days!" said Pan.

"Such is my intention. The truth is, Kaioshin-sama sent a message to me from Kaioshin-kai mentioning that dozens of planets' worth of Ki signals have disappeared from the universe recently… and according to the Dai Kaioshin-sama's research, each and every one of those planets was one that was invaded by Mu in his thirty-year long bid for control of the four quadrants of the universe."

"So Baby somehow beat us to the last Dragon Ball, placed it in the spaceship right near where that star exploded, and then somehow made his way around the universe on a ship he stole from the Mochans? Call me crazy, but unless he acquired some godly teleportation powers, that sounds a bit… out there, Piccolo-san," said Trunks.

"There's no being too careful with machine mutants and artificial humans, other me," said Future Trunks, "nobody in my timeline was expecting the Red Ribbon Army to resurface with a vengeance the way they did, and all of my friends lost their lives one by one despite already having gone through the battle on Namek. Baby has something up his sleeve that we don't know of, that much is certain."

"Right, but it certainly isn't the ability to freely teleport," said Goten, "if he had such an ability, then it doesn't make sense that he hasn't attacked us in this ship already. Still, from what little we know of interacting with him and the Machine Mutant empire on M2, the bag of tricks he's got knows no limits. But it's as Piccolo-san said, if he hasn't attacked us yet for the five Ultimate Dragon Balls we've acquired, then the location of next one without doubt is where he plans to strike."

"Yes, precisely. In order to reduce the risk of him setting up new surprises for us as much as possible in this unfavorable situation, we need to reach the location of the sixth Dragon Ball as quickly as possible. If he has the kind of spaceship it takes to pull off something like this, then it stands to reason that if we were to defeat him and take his ship, or at least his fuel, we could more than likely refuel OctoPUS 9000, make our way to the seventh Dragon Ball, and complete this journey well within the six months we're allowed."

"Say, that's one thing I don't understand, why is there such a tight time limit for something that is as time consuming as scouring this universe? And despite there being an encapsulation function on this spaceship, I don't see the Capsule Corp. logo on it anywhere… I didn't want to pry because I haven't been with you guys that long, but this timeline's Bulma is my mother, too… Is there something you guys won't tell me?"

"Oh, about that… Well… It's a long and really uninteresting story! I-It's nothing you need to know about, we'll take care of it no problem!" said Trunks, prompting Goten to whisper in a corner of the spaceship, "Trunks-kun really doesn't want to involve the future him in the whole beef with Kaiba, huh? Some kind of macho pride in taking care of his own problem himself."

"The Future Trunks is way dreamy and cool! Broody and handsome and dark, like a real hunk! I don't see why Trunks doesn't just tell him about the situation with Kaiba, the other Trunks deserves to know!"

"Pan, I didn't know you liked Trunks that way. From what I can tell, they have the same face, they just… kind of dress and carry themselves differently."

"I do not like Trunks! And the Trunks from the future is just, sooooo much better looking, okay? You just can't pick up on his charm 'cuz you're a boy, Uncle Goten!"

"You know, I can hear you guys…" said Trunks.

"Haha! Ahahahaha! We've barely been together a couple of weeks, and it's like we're one big, happy family! Eavesdropping and everything! Wouldn't you agree, the future Trunks-kun?" said Goten.

"A family full of secrets," said Future Trunks, with a faint smile.

A day passed, during which Goten and Future Trunks were busy image training with each other, while the Trunks from this timeline lifted weights, while allowing Pan to get her turn. Piccolo drove the spaceship anxiously, and quickly the Dragon Team was beginning to close in on the planet where they would finally confront Baby…

"Mmmm…" said Goten while in a mental simulation battle with Future Trunks.

"Mmmmrrrghhhh…" said Future Trunks.

"Uwaaaaaargh!" said Goten as the mental simulation was abruptly halted, as Future Trunks also rose out of his seat in shock.

"Huff! Huff! You really are strong, if I hadn't turned Super Saiyan 2 at the last second, I really could have been done in!" said Future Trunks.

"It's the result of my training with Kaio-sama. But I have to say, when you hide your presence, I really can't pick up on your trail even a tiny bit! You have quite the unique fighting style!"

"I had no choice but to develop my stealth skills, fighting a losing war against the machine mutants on M2 for four years. The most efficient method for guerilla soldiers is the power of subterfuge and ambush. But to be honest, even with developing this fighting style and training as hard as I could for four years, we were on the verge of collapse… until the death of my second-in-command awakened my Super Saiyan 2 state… And to be honest, I had always suspected this form wasn't the limit of Saiyan transformations. I just couldn't be sure of it until I saw you guys' Super Saiyan 3 form… I'd like to obtain that kind of power myself, so I could protect anyone."

"Whoa! You're plenty strong enough as it is, you've handed me my ass just now! And Super Saiyan 3, due to its extreme Ki consumption, isn't a form that's all that great outside of the afterlife! I'll train myself until I obtain it, but unless I'm sure I can finish a fight fast with it, the form isn't all that practical."

"Yeah, if only one could learn to harness that kind of power in the Super Saiyan 2 form… or perhaps, acclimate the body to that power enough that the energy loss doesn't become the form's undoing? I still have a ways to go before I obtain the kind of power I need to protect the people of my time."

"You'll get there. For one thing, you're already halfway there! Unlocking Super Saiyan 2 is something I'm still working on… Rage seems to be the key, but Kaio-sama kept stressing that I have to train myself as much as possible before it'll come to me."

"H-Hey! It's my turn on the 100-ton weights, Trunks! No fair!" said Pan as Trunks snatched the weights away from her, clearly motivated to maintain his lead on Goten.

A day soon passed.

"The sixth Dragon Ball is within reach, on Planet Reito! 200,000 kilometers to the northwest! Gill Gill!"

"Planet Reito… an icy-cold planet in the South Galaxy, a planet the Resistance built a base in because its nigh-uninhabitable climate made it the perfect hiding spot from Mu's machine mutants."

"Strange that Baby would choose that kind of spot for the battle against his hated enemies. If I were him, I'd choose some place with lots of Machine Mutants, for the advantage of numbers," said Goten.

"It could be precisely for that reason that he's chosen such a precarious spot," said Piccolo, "if he can keep us guessing, he's already got a significant edge in utilizing the element of surprise."

"Whatever the case, I see Planet Reito close by! Piccolo-san, can you change our garb to something a bit more suitable for this climate?" asked Trunks.

"Indeed I can. Hmph!" yelled Piccolo as he materialized a green coat atop Trunks' usual clothes, a blue and white coat for Goten, and a yellow raincoat-looking children's coat for Pan. Future Trunks simply sped quickly to the closet and took out a black trenchcoat and a pair of thick pants, saying "I've been to Planet Reito many times before. I've already had this prepared."

"Good. We'll have run out of fuel by the time we reach this planet, so once we find Baby, we're not to kill him until we've interrogated him to learn the location of his spaceship first. Is that clear?" asked Piccolo.

"Aye aye, sir!"

When the five members of the crew landed on Planet Reito alongside Gill, Goten and Future Trunks began staring at OctoPUS 9000, at which point Future Trunks took out a marker and inscribed the word "Hope!" next to the door of the spaceship.

"Whoa, what's this? Some kind of method to bide for good luck?" asked Goten.

"Kind of… but it's also what my mother in the future wrote on the time machine I used originally to travel to this era. Thanks to that, my timeline was saved from the threat of the artificial humans… although thanks to Mu's machinations, I was dragged here before I could finish Cell and completely free my world of Dr. Gero's legacy. Since then, I've taken to writing the word Hope on any vehicle or important base the Resistance acquired, because I had to believe even when all hope seemed lost. I don't have the time machine with me anymore, but if anyone can send me back to the timeline I belong in, it's you guys, the ones who made all this possible. We'll win this fight. I just know it."

"You know what, I like the way you think, the Trunks-kun of the other time! As a matter of fact…" said Goten as he tore the left sleeve from his coat into five shreds, "How about we write the word Hope on each one of these, and wear them on our heads? The Future Trunks-kun and I haven't been with you guys that long… but for the short time we've been together, I really feel like we've developed a familial bond!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. It'd serve as a reminder that we have something to fight for, a place to go home to. I'm in," said Future Trunks.

"Hahaha! See? We really are a happy family! Why, with how Trunks-kun and Pan argue, they might as well be a married couple!"

"WE DO NOT!" said Trunks and Pan, who begrudgingly accepted Goten's idea and wrote the message "Hope!" on each of the ragtag headbands before putting them all on.

"This looks just awkward with my headscarf, Uncle Goten! Can't I just wear it on my arm, instead?"

"Then we just have to do this! Hahahaha!" said Goten as he took off Pan's headscarf, tore it in half, and then tied the halves on each of Pan's arms.

"Hey! I liked that headscarf, it was my fashion statement!"

"That thing gets blasted off every time you turn Super Saiyan, anyway, Pan. We have to get going now," said Goten.

"Yes, he's exactly right. Baby was the one who placed the two-star Ultimate Dragon Ball in that abandoned spaceship, he without a doubt placed the sixth one here because it was the ideal environment for him! Goten, I order you to split from us, and keep the Dragon Balls and the capsule for the OctoPUS 9000 spaceship on you! You'll be infiltrating this planet separately from us, until I telepathically ask for your participation!"

"I'll do as you say, Piccolo-san… But why me?"

"For a number of reasons. Firstly, Baby without a doubt needs for both your ability to fuse into Gotenks and your ability to teleport to be made useless. You're without doubt his number one target for possession, not to mention your power already surpasses mine, and either of the two Trunks' powers in their regular Super Saiyan states. If he's capable of drawing out a target's hidden power as he did with Rild and Super #17, possessing you seems like the most advantageous position for him to corner us with."

"I see… Good point, Piccolo-san. I'll travel separately from you guys, but you call me the first thing when you need my help!" said Goten as he suppressed his Ki and then leapt into the distance, at which point Future Trunks said, "There should still be a small Resistance base here, if Baby has attacked anyone here, it's probably them! This planet with its subzero temperature isn't a place where a lot of organisms thrive!"

"Yes, we'll head there. But all four of you, be extremely careful! Baby has been expecting us, he's without a doubt set some kind of trap!"

Piccolo took off his weighted clothing before tying the headband on his head, and then led the team toward the Resistance hideout. Surprisingly, the ship that Baby stole from the Mochans was parked in a forest just outside the base. Pan, Trunks and Future Trunks headed toward the spaceship in a triangular formation to prevent any surprises, and checked to see that the fuel tank was half full. It seemed almost too good to be true that the Dragon Team's plans were falling into place so perfectly.

"P-Piccolo-san, I can't sense any type of life inside this spaceship, not even in the fuel tank. You think I should just nab the fuel and blow this thing up?"

"Give the fuel tank to our timeline's Trunks, Pan. The other Trunks, put on this Micro-band and try going inside the fuel tank to see if Baby's set any kind of trap inside it."

"I've got it… but I don't think I could blast this fuel off of me with Ki, that'd probably just start a fire… Whatever the case, I'm going in!" said Future Trunks as he used Piccolo's Micro-band to go inside the fuel tank, coming out a minute later saying, "We're in the clear."

"Very well. Once you encapsulate that fuel tank, Trunks, I'll take it and keep it on me. You and Future Trunks are no doubt going to be key players in this battle, moreso than myself and Pan. Keeping the last of our fuel on either of you will prove to be dangerous."

"Let's head toward the hideout and maintain extreme caution," said Future Trunks as they again assumed a triangular position with Piccolo in the middle, before they soon opened the door to the hideout. Once inside, they heard a scream.

"Ahhhhhhh! Someone save me!" yelled a green-haired, injured boy on the second floor, which the Dragon Team quickly reached by busting through the floor. Once there, they found a blond, simian-looking, blue Machine Mutant dressed in formal wear holding a knife to the injured boy's throat, saying "I am Dolltacki of the Church of Loodism! Surrender the Dragon Balls you nonbelievers have gathered, or this boy's life is forfeit!"

"D-Do it, you sick, perverted creep! I'd rather sit in a grave than have you lay your filthy hands on me for even another second!" said the boy, as he bit the Machine Mutant's arm and made it bleed, at which point the mutant threw him aside, sped into Pan's range, and then began feeling up her back and said, "I-If that last hostage isn't enough to convey the gravity of this situation, I'm taking this girl! And I daresay, her skin is silky smooth, like a blue velvet! And she smells so nice…."

Trunks and Future Trunks were flabbergasted by the simian Machine Mutant's perversion, at which point Pan grabbed his arm and flipped him over straight onto the first floor, destroying the hideout completely. She then went Super Saiyan and said, "I can off this perverted monkey, right? I don't think anyone'll have any problem with that!"

"He doesn't seem to be possessed or anything, but he's disgusting. He's all yours, Pan," said Trunks.

"You're gonna wish you was never even born!" yelled Pan as she leapt into the sky and kicked Dolltacki's face, shattering his jaw and popping one of his eyeballs, but leaving him just barely alive.

"Still, that guy's blue skin tone… it's a shared trait among humanoid machine mutants. If he's not the one Baby possessed, I wonder who it is…" said Future Trunks, at which point the green-haired, injured boy flared up a pink aura and sped toward Piccolo, trying to bite his neck. Piccolo quickly warped himself behind the boy and knocked him out with a karate chop to the neck, at which point he said, "Hm. A surprisingly mundane trick, for Baby. Pretending to be the captive in distress to catch us off guard? Something is off."

The boy rose again as if he were unaffected by the blow, at which point Trunks and Future Trunks both hit him on opposite sides of the neck, depriving his brain of blood flow and knocking him out. Future Trunks forcibly opened the boy's eyes and said, "Hm. His eyes aren't those of an unconscious person, his brain is still active despite the loss of blood flow… but something is wrong, Baby's possession should have a much greater effect on his fighting performance and durability. If he's not the one possessed - "

"Pan! Get away from that monkey, he's the one Baby's possessing!" yelled Trunks, at which point Dolltacki rose again and Baby's greyish-purple liquid form quickly emerged from Dolltacki's wounds, seeping into Pan's mouth.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" yelled Pan as she tried to resist possession, only for red lines to appear under her eyes, and she began to speak with a masculine voice, saying "Hehehehehe… Feigning to be the kidnapping victim is a poor man's trick as you said, Namekian. But I knew with your attention diverted toward that brat, you'd realize a second too late that I had been disguising myself in the skin of the Machine Mutant all along. If just the Super Saiyan energy of this Saiyan bitch is already giving me this much of a power high, I can only imagine what the rest of you will contribute… Hahahaha!"

"Grr! Piccolo-san, let's call Goten back here! We'll fuse into Gotenks again and beat this creep out of Pan even if it takes us all day to do it!" said Trunks angrily.

"Anger… Yes, that is a monkey's most prominent emotion, assuming your primitive, small brains can even understand the concept! You care for this girl, and it angers you that I would stoop to such underhanded measures as going after the weakest one in your group, does it not? But a trip down this girl's memory lane tells me that your anger goes deeper than that…. Is it… Your family? The ones in hiding thanks to the Earthling scientist who built your ship…? Eh?! IS IT, GRANDSON OF KING VEGETA?!"

"I think it's about time you shut up!" yelled Trunks as he transformed to Super Saiyan 2, at which point the Baby-possessed Pan flared up her aura massively and began engaging in a fistfight, eventually grabbing both of Trunks' wrists and slamming him in to the ground. Trunks focused his Ki into his feet and made the snow around them explode, covering the two of them in a cloud of exploding vapor. However, when Trunks emerged from behind Pan-Baby, he was surprised to see that Baby put up no resistance and merely taunted him saying, "Go ahead, punch the girl you care for so much. According to her memories… it was her supposed death that even pushed you toward unlocking your precious Super Saiyan 2, was it not? Punch me, and hurt your friend! The blood of you barbaric Saiyans thirsts for slaughter, even when it's targeting your own kind!"

"Don't fall for his taunts, Trunks! He's just baiting you to raise your power higher to alert Goten, so he can possess him and block off your Fusion and our method of escape! The future you and I will assist, beat Pan without hesitation! When she's no longer viable to him as a host, he'll leave!" yelled Piccolo.

"Oh, so that's why I don't see the other half-breed mongrel here, you think I've been targeting him the whole time… Well, sorry to disappoint you, but my target…"

Piccolo realized a second too late that they had wrongly presumed Baby's target to be Goten.

"Is him!" yelled Baby as he gathered all of Pan's energy inside her mouth, at which point he shot a metal blade out of her throat and cut Trunks' cheek. Both the liquid metal blade and Baby's body emerged from inside Pan's mouth and entered Trunks' bloodstream, causing Trunks to grab his head in intense, unimaginable pain.

"G-Grrrr…. God… Goddamn Tsufurian… Snake! G-Get the hell… out of my head!" yelled Trunks as he kept pounding his skull, as marks of Baby's possession began to appear on his face, which was contorted in a furious struggle for control.

"R-Resist it, other me! Y-You're stronger than he is, Dad always said that the only one a Saiyan serves is himself! He may try to take control of your body, but he won't have your pride!"

"I-I… Wish it was that easy… Other me, kill me, right now! Kill me and take him down with me!"

"W-What?! You can't ask me to do such a thing! We got through the battle on M2 without any deaths, I'm not going to kill my own comrade… I won't kill myself!"

"D-Dammit, I feel my power rising like crazy… This is different than when he possessed Pan, he's trying to make me his permanent host! Just do it! I'm sure the Dragon Balls can bring me back - "

At this point, Baby took complete control over Trunks' body, at which point he said using his own voice, "Hehehehehe… Don't you think I'm letting you off the hook that easy, descendant of the wretched King Vegeta. If anyone kills you while we're merged on a cellular level the way we are now, we'll enter the Other World together… And you'll serve me forever even in death! Now, stop resisting! I already have control over your mind and your body, and your will shall bend to my very whim… NOW!"

A huge power surge erupted around the Baby-possessed Trunks, at which point his green coat and shirt completely evaporated, and his hair went from the golden blond of Super Saiyan 2 to a pale white, as lines appeared on the sclera of his eyes, as his iris went from the bluish-green of Super Saiyan to a freakishly dark black. Baby's Ki had shot through the roof, alerting Goten on the other side of the planet. Goten emerged using Shunkan Idou, went Super Saiyan, and kicked Baby in the neck, who didn't so much as wince from the impact.

Future Trunks, realizing the gravity of the situation, went Super Saiyan 2 and took out his sword, at which point Baby chuckled and said, "You really think you can go after my head with such a… primitive weapon? I guess swinging sticks is really all a monkey knows! But no amount of expertise in primitive weapons will save you! I shall engrave a taste of fear… the kind of fear my Tsufurian subjects faced when your giant monkey army eradicated them in a single night! And then, you'll all die!"

Baby grunted and yelled, "Haaaah!" as he powered up massively, causing a pinkish-violet maelstorm of power to erupt around him, at which point rays of light in various corners of the universe emerged, including from the injured boy, and gathered around him. Baby absorbed each of the rays, powering up even further. Piccolo muttered, "Those rays of energy… they weren't from just one corner of the galaxy or the universe… It really is true, you somehow managed to attack each and every one of the planets that Mu invaded… and you took possession of the people there!"

"Wrong. I merely implanted my eggs inside the natives of the planets where remnants of that sap Mu's Machine Mutant army remained, to take the majority of their life energy. I did not kill them, nor do I plan to take their freedom. The only ones I will kill now… Are Saiyans. And you traitors of superior, more tranquil races who've sided yourselves with Saiyan vermin! I have in me the combined powers of all of the cybernetic remnants of Mu's army, and the combined powers of billions across this universe! And I have you to thank for that, Mr. Leader of the Native Resistance! Without getting my hands on the warp portal technology you developed and setting them on each and every one of the planets that were part of Mu's empire, I could not have amassed this kind of strength!"

"T-This guy's got the answer to anything! We seriously underestimated how resourceful he is! I don't care if I live or die, I'm going to drive him out of the other me and end him!" yelled Future Trunks as he blitzed the possessed Trunks-Baby, kicking snow into his opponent's line of sight before swinging his sword precisely at all of his vital points, which the Tsufurian opponent avoided without even trying.

Baby then said, "It's lights out for you, future boy. You can die happy, knowing that your efforts to save the natives of M2 was a success… a success you'll rue in your grave, when I transform them all into a people of fellow Tsufurians! Hahahahahaha!"

Baby then backhanded Future Trunks, knocking him out instantly. Piccolo blitzed behind Trunks-Baby and stretched his arms to tangle him into a knot of his arms, at which point Goten grabbed hold of Future Trunks' sword and hit Baby in the head with the blunt side of the blade. Baby simply said, "What a useless effort… Not that it would affect me even if you used the sharp end of the blade, but just what do you plan to accomplish, hitting me with the blunt side? Is it your Saiyan blood that blinds you to reality, or is it the sentimental influence of your Earthling mothers?! Unless you kill me and him both, this will never end!"

"I'm not about to take my friend's life, I just won't! I'm sure there has to be a way to force you out of him, and I'll find it! I just know… I just know it! We can't lose Trunks-kun to you, we just can't!" said Goten, at which point he suddenly raised his hands and gathered Genki from all over, being able to quickly amass the Genki of the people knocked out after Baby re-gathered the eggs he'd implanted inside them.

"A Genki Dama? Of… Fuwahahahahaa! My exhausted subjects, of all people?! You fool! How on Earth will you kill me with a mass of energy less than what I've absorbed from them?! There's a reason why you're still a regular Super Saiyan after all this time, you really are a useless waste of space!"

"Don't let his jeers get to you, Goten! What's most important in a battle is how you use the cards that you're dealt, not how powerful the cards themselves are! Have faith in yourself, as I do in you!"

"Hehehehe… I think he knows better than anyone here that you're lying through your teeth. Tell me, Namekian! Who really is the most useless one among this bunch, other than the little Saiyan bitch?! You've got your brains, and I'd daresay this half-Saiyan mongrel descended from a low-class Saiyan family has even less worth to offer than you! Your friend Trunks, he's been thinking it all along! You're nothing but a reject, a superfluous addition to the crew just like your niece!"

"We'll let my Genki Dama be the one to determine the truth," said Goten as he calmed himself down from the enraged state Baby was putting him in, and then concentrated the Ki of the Genki Dama into his arm, "a year ago, or even months ago your taunts would've gotten to me, Baby… but not now! My mind's as clear as the waters of Mt. Paozu! And I know what to do!"

"It appears the only cure to your idiocy is death. Very well… Come at me with everything you have. I… And the body of your precious friend Trunks, who's experiencing every moment of your torture as if he were inflicting it himself, shall deny everything that you are!"

"I have just one chance… If the way he possesses his victims remains the same with Saiyans as it does with Machine Mutants, I just need a good, simultaneous hit on both the heart of Trunks-kun's body… and his head! That should have the same effect as attacking a Machine Mutant's core… There's no need to be nervous, I -CAN- do this!" thought Goten as he teleported within Trunks-Baby's range, then reverted to his normal form and launched the Genki Dama at close range, attacking his chest and destroying Piccolo's outstretched arms. Then, he yelled, "Kaio-ken times 20!" and then momentarily went Super Saiyan for the briefest of instants, attacking Trunks-Baby's skull with the greatest force he could muster. Just then, Trunks-Baby smirked and let out an even more powerful surge of Ki than before, subduing Goten and knocking the Genki Dama away. When Goten gazed upon his possessed friend's face, to his shock it had been possessed to an even greater degree by the parasite, with visor-like layers appearing over his eyes, his shirt being destroyed, and two yellow and red shoulder guards emerging from his shoulders.

"Fuhuhuhuhu… I knew all along that you would go after my head and heart, the greatest weakness you Saiyan mongrels have is too great of a trust in each other! How your precious friend thought it was smart to hide his family problems from his own future self, when you were spilling the beans on the moves you learned from your dead father and the North Kaio is beyond me! Thanks to the danger you momentarily put me in, my body evolved a step further and strengthened my possession of your friend! I am now… Super Baby! Already he proved to be the perfect host, with his hatred for the Earthling who threatened his family strengthening my compatibility with his body, and his knowledge of you helped set the perfect trap!"

"H-His power is already far beyond what he had in his Super #17 body… Mu really did create the ultimate machine mutant…" muttered Piccolo as he regenerated his limbs, prompting Baby to correct him, saying "Fool. It was I who programmed the nobody that was Mu to nudge him in the direction of my completion. My genetic material comes from the glorious leader of the Tsufurian race, their king! And through my hands the glorious prosperity of the Tsufurian race shall spread to all twelve universes, where I will rule as the rightful king!"

"Oh, so you were a king in your previous life, were you? Couldn't have guessed it, with your crass demeanor," said Goten.

"A mouthful to the very end, are you? Having already achieved my second form, I have no need for any of you… your life shall end once I'm satisfied, but the torture shall make that time feel like an eternity! There must never be a Saiyan left alive, no more shall tragedies be spread under the flag of the barbaric monkeys of Saiya!"

"Hmpf!" yelled Goten as he fired off a blast at Baby's head, which he avoided without even budging from the spot he was standing on. He then said, "You bore me. I shall end you and go on to torture the other half-Saiyan… by his own hand!"

Goten then yelled, "Trunks-kun! Now's the time!"

Baby instinctively looked in the direction of the unconscious Future Trunks, at which point Goten slashed his eyes out by activating Kaio-ken x 20 in his brief moment of distraction. Trunks-Baby then said, "Grrr! So you figured out I can't restore body parts in a non-Machine Mutant body?! No matter, I can simply snatch a compatible pair from the future Saiyan - "

As Baby said this, the Ki blast Goten fired off earlier hit Future Trunks in the heart, delivering enough of a shock to wake him up. Future Trunks went Super Saiyan 2 and kneed Trunks-Baby in the face, at which point Baby predictably took the opportunity to reach for his eyeballs. Goten teleported to their side and swung Future Trunks' blade at Trunks-Baby's wrists, driving the sword into his wrist bone. Piccolo then emerged above the two of them and drove the sword further into Trunks-Baby's wrists, and Future Trunks applied additional force into the blade, finally cutting off his hands cleanly.

"Gwarrrrgh!"

"The one who underestimated his opponent is you, Baby. You were too busy trying to play mind games with me… I have never thought myself to be useless or a pity addition, and all my comrades feel the same. We believe in each other! The headband you see on your own very host, is proof of our bond! A bond you'll never break!" yelled Goten.

"That's right. And if anyone's going to end you, Baby, it's me. I will personally free my other self from your control! A life without freedom is one that has no meaning!"

"Oh? So you're willing to… condemn your other self to an eternity of being put under my control? I told you before and I'll tell you again… if anyone were to kill me as I am now, completely merged on a cellular level to your friend, he goes down with me! His soul even in death will share my fate… and I daresay, dying might just be worth it to see the kind of tormented looks on your faces! Hahahahaha!"

"He's just bluffing, Future Trunks-kun," said Goten, "he'll probably come after one of us when Trunks-kun's body has been damaged beyond repair. He just doesn't want us to attack him without hesitation."

"Hehehehehe… You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you? But the truth is, when I'm merged with someone on this level, I learn not only their long-term memories, but their mind simply becomes part of my very own! Your friend… the grandson of King Vegeta… His drive for revenge against the Earthling Kaiba is a drive that I myself have gained!"

"No way! You're bluffing!"

"Am I?! You should remember me mentioning that I was driven by the will of Super #17 to kill you three on M2, shan't you?! I am merged on a much more fundamental level to your friend! I can only imagine the kind of torment that you'd put his family, Prince Vegeta, his Earthling wench and their little brat daughter! Especially when their corporation has already been bought out, and they fear for their lives atop Kami's Palace! Hahahahaaha! End me now! Do it and condemn your friend to an eternity of servitude and humiliation! I almost regret that I will not be there personally to see it, myself!"

"Whatever the case, we can't let you live!" yelled Future Trunks as he aimed his blade to Trunks-Baby's throat, at which point Baby thought to himself, "That's it, boy… Come near me and die a violent death when I self-destruct! I'll kill every one of you except the Namekian, take his body and then steal Prince Vegeta's body to put him through an eternity of servitude! Your torment shall know no end!"

Future Trunks, even with his sword to Baby's throat, could not bring himself to end Baby and risk damning his counterpart. Just as he withdrew the blade, Vegeta suddenly appeared, went Super Saiyan 3, and kicked Trunks-Baby away from Future Trunks.

"Feh! Don't tell me you've gone soft in the time I haven't seen you, Trunks! Think for a minute of your life, will you?! Ending this Tsufurian scum goes above and beyond the safety of a single person! If it's Trunks' spirit we want restored to its rightful place, we have six Ultimate Dragon Balls on this planet to make a wish with, do we not?!" said Vegeta.

"D-Dad?! H-How are you here?!"

"Apparently the lofty and great gods at Kaioshin-kai thought you would need reinforcements. You've all done well to survive against this powerful enemy, but you still don't have the ruthlessness you displayed when you blasted me away during the battle with Cell! You disappoint me, Trunks!"

"Oh… So the great Prince Vegeta comes out of his Earth shithole to face me… How convenient for me that all my targets are gathered together in this place… I'll make a prediction of the future, Vegeta! That your body shall be my next eternal host, and you will serve me for the rest of eternity in realizing my dream, of expanding the Tsufurian Empire across all of existence!"

"Feh! I wouldn't gloat, with the shape your body is in! In fact… it's only your possession keeping my son Trunks alive now, is it not?"

"Yes… which is why you won't be able to attack carelessly. Fool, Super Saiyan 3 or Super Saiyan 4, you'll never have the kind of sheer power it takes to force me out of your half-breed mutt! I'll just attack you from a range and wear you down, and soon your body shall be my own!"

"Is that right? I wish you the best of luck with that… In fact, here! Take this!"

Vegeta threw a Senzu in Baby's direction, at which point Baby said, "T-This is the healing item of Earth that restores all stamina and heals all injuries! This must be some trick!"

"Please, the pride of a Saiyan warrior is one that permits no such petty actions. You won't be able to die without regrets as a warrior if you had to keel over in a half-dead body, I'm just giving you the chance to fight at your best!"

"I will take this offering, Vegeta… I look forward to your eternal regret when you face permanent enslavement because of your so-called courtesy!" yelled Baby as he ingested the Senzu, regrowing Trunks' wrists and obtaining an even greater power than before.

"Heh! Hahahahaha! It's as I thought, your half-breed son's body is still Saiyan, all right! It has grown far more powerful, returning from near death!"

"Vegeta! What are you thinking?! You don't have another Senzu on you, do you?! How could you go ahead and heal the enemy?!" protested Piccolo.

"I healed him because the best outcome of this is returning with Trunks' life intact, and all seven Dragon Balls at hand. I didn't come here alone. Kakarrot! Show yourself, now! It's time to show our friend what true power is!"

"I'm not too late to th' party, am I?! This guy's Ki is so strong, it's totally got my heart racing a few ticks faster! But it does look like we won't be able to take him one-on-one!" said Goku as he teleported behind Vegeta.

"I see… He's used the day he has among the living to return to this world… But I know from what you taught Trunks yourself, Vegeta! That when I kill your friend that crawled out of his shallow grave, I will extinguish his very spirit! How fitting that the end of the Saiyan prince will be made even more fulfilling when I delete his carcass friend out of existence!"

"Fool, there's a reason why I fed you the Senzu… and it's because you're about to be dealt a conclusive defeat, the likes of which you'll never forget even in Hell! Kakarrot, give me the Potara! As much as I'd despise being stuck to you, letting this Tsufurian pond scum keep his cocky façade just makes me sick!"

"You've got it! No one beats us as Vegetto! Revivin' me won't be necessary now!"

Goku took off a Potara earring off his left ear and handed it to Vegeta, who reverted to normal as he donned the earring. A massive flash of light erupted, shaking the entire planet. The fused warrior Vegetto emerged, dressed in a Gi with greenish-blue pants retained from Vegeta's attire, and a reddish-brown shirt and purple boots and gloves. Without so much as a word, Vegetto sped immediately into Trunks-Baby's range and punched him in the face, knocking him into an iceberg a thousand miles away.

"I'll force you right out of Trunks… and end you in under a minute," said Vegetto.

To be continued…