10 Minutes until the Tournament of Time.
"I was half hoping that Whis guy was just exaggerating when he said I might run into myself." The one-armed Gohan of Timeline 3 began, eyeing his counterpart in wonder. "But then again, I'm used to not getting what I want."
"I've more or less accepted that this is going to be the weirdest day of my life," Gohan 1 replied in earnest. His own initial shock at meeting yet another of his counterparts was slowly being overcome by his usual inquisitive attitude. "I think that goes for most of us though."
Gohan 3 approached with slow steps. Their orange gi's were similar, though his own was noticeably more worn; appearing frayed around the edges and having been subject to multiple shoddy repairs. His hair was short but practical, likely being self cut, with only a few black locks hanging across his forehead. He stood before his leaner twin, assessing him curiously.
"I can tell just by looking at you that the battle against the Androids went quite differently for you right?" Gohan 3 began, his tone appearing almost relieved. A hopeful glint then twinkled in his eye as an idea suddenly formed. "You wouldn't happen to be from the timeline I traveled back to in the time machine would you?"
Gohan 1 let out a sharp gasp, cutting himself off from saying anymore words as he processed his counterpart's query. He eyed Trunks in mild suspicion before beginning to understand the situation. "No… Though someone did come back to help us." He then turned to Trunks fully and offered out his hand. "Let's just say it's good to see you again, Trunks."
Trunks stared back with wide eyes. He understood the implication being made; this Gohan looked at him as if he already knew him, and had already alluded that his world had received help from a time traveler. Trunks knew that if it had not been his Gohan, it would have been himself to make the journey into the past; so it didn't take Trunks long to accept that there must have been a timeline out there where just that had happened.
Why it had to happen was something Trunks didn't want to dwell on at the moment.
"It's nice to meet you, Gohan." Trunks shook the hand presented to him and returned the smile that greeted him. "Man, it feels weird to say that."
"Ha, you're telling me!" Gohan 1 replied with a chuckle. "Everyone's a stranger and yet we all know each other already. It's like meeting a pen-pal or something." He turned to look behind him, they were situated just inside the hallway leading out into the ring area, just far enough inside that the light of the open arena appeared almost blinding.
Gohan's thoughts then drifted to his own timeline, and to the one whose inhabitants they had befriended soon after their arrival. He turned back to his one armed twin and sighed again; he was never going to get used to seeing other versions of himself, and for this counterpart in particular, he couldn't help but eye the stump where he knew an arm should be.
He would have to ask about that later.
"Some of us have grouped together, our histories were similar enough for us to get along. You two are more than welcome to join us if you want." He considered his next words carefully. This Timeline 3 appeared to be similar to that of the Future Trunks who had visited them before, so it stands to reason their circumstances must be similar also, in all their dreary detail. "I'm sure there's a few people over there you might want to see."
Trunks looked to Gohan 3 for approval, but the older man simply shook his head and smiled warmly. "Maybe later, we're waiting for someone at the moment. A friend of ours is just dropping his wife off in the stands." He looked to his counterpart again, snorting quietly as he spoke his mind. "Tell me… are our fathers there?"
Gohan 1 simply nodded and said no more.
After a few silent moments, Gohan 1 began to turn away. "We should probably head back then, we only have a few minutes left before we start." He then took a moment to gaze at the still present Pan's and Bulla. The trio had simply waited in silence after Gohan had arrived and took over the conversation. He had a sudden thought and smiled to himself.
"Before we do that though, do you three want to introduce yourselves?"
Both Pan's looked unsure; they had come here at Bulla's behest and weren't expecting to run into yet another version of their father. Neither had time to consider the offer further however, because Bulla decided to take the initiative. Marching forwards with her arms crossed and head held high.
"I'm Bulla Briefs, Princess of all Saiyans!"
Bulla spoke with the authoritative tone of someone quadruple her age, in a manner both Timeline 3's Sayian's were quite familiar with. Trunks looked down at her with evident shock, he didn't need any further confirmation to ascertain that he had some relation to this girl, after all, she couldn't have resembled his mother more.
"I understand…" Trunks stated, composed and firm. "You're… my daughter?"
Bulla made a gagging sound.
"Bleh! As if!" She then snorted dismissively. "I take it back, you are like my dweeb brother."
'Brother?!' Trunks reared away, clearly in disbelief. He'd never actually traveled through time before, so a scenario like this was all new to him. This girl being his daughter was the most obvious conclusion he felt to make, for her to in actuality be his sister was something else entirely. He fumbled out an explanation.
"Sorry, I had just thought… With me and Mai being…" He shut himself up before he said something further he would regret. He composed himself and looked down at the girl, his sister, again. He of course could see the resemblance to her, or rather, their mother.
But he saw someone else as well; a demeanour he didn't recognise and an expression he never knew.
He got down on one knee to meet Bulla in the eyes, she returned him with an uncertain stare. "It's… nice to meet you, Bulla." It felt strange for him to say her name aloud, like it was a foreign word in a dead language. "You seem to know me, but I hope you understand that this is my first time meeting you, so this is all very strange to me."
Trunks had chosen his words carefully, he was talking to a child after all and he wanted to make sure she understood him. Unfortunately, his explanation only served to prompt an uneasy query from Bulla.
"You don't know me? How come?"
It was an innocent question prompted by Bulla's simple lack of understanding, but Trunks could not force himself to form an answer.
"You'll have a lot of time to talk later, Ms. Bulla," it was Gohan 3's voice, halting the discussion. He had deemed it suitable to intervene at this point to spare Trunks an uncomfortable conversation. "You'd best head back over to your area before your group starts to worry about you."
Bulla appeared dissatisfied with that invitation, but ultimately chose to comply. She turned and walked away, pausing ever so briefly to bid goodbye to Trunks with an uneasy wave.
He responded in kind.
The two Pan's followed on behind Bulla hastily, feeling they had greatly overstayed their welcome. Both conceded silently that proper introductions would have to wait for later, once they both had time to properly prepare themselves. At present they both wanted to return to the relative simplicity of the company of their own group.
Gohan 1 made a move to leave also, but froze as he heard his counterpart utter one last statement.
"Are they yours?"
Gohan had expected a question of that kind to be asked at some point. This Gohan was smart enough to make the obvious connection between Pan and himself. He knew he was going to have to have a long conversation with his one-armed counterpart at some point, about a lot of difficult topics both wanted answers to.
If the stories the Future Trunks had once told him were true… this Gohan had likely lived a harsh life.
"Pan is my daughter," he said bluntly, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
Gohan 3 said nothing, clearly in deep thought. Or perhaps he wasn't, perhaps he was simply so shook by the answer that he couldn't even think. Either way, he took several moments to form any words.
"I see."
Gohan 1 didn't feel the need nor the desire to explain the semantics of there being two Pan's, nor did he want to ponder how an alternative Gohan might fit in to that kind of family tree. This was an unprecedented situation and he had just dropped an unfair bombshell that was no doubt weighing heavily on his counterpart's mind. He simply did all he could think to do under the circumstances.
"I'll give you both some time." He turned to Trunks, the only one of the pair who wasn't currently staring at the ground. "When you're ready, please come and say hello… I think you both deserve that."
Gohan said nothing more, simply turning to walk away, leaving the two alternate Half-Saiyan's alone with their thoughts.
- DB DBZ DBS DBGT -
"No more wandering off you three," Gohan 2 decreed, mildly scolding the trio of girls who had just returned to them. "Some of the guys here aren't too friendly."
The trio muttered out apologies before situating themselves against the wall of the ring. Gohan 1 returned soon after and briefly relayed what he had learned about the inhabitants of Timeline 3 to any who were minded to listen to him. Both Vegeta's noticeably twitched when told of the presence of the alternate timeline Trunks, while Goku allowed himself a brief smile at the knowledge he had yet another son present, but said no more.
"I count eleven participants so far," Piccolo stated bluntly, mostly to himself but willing to prompt a discussion. "You six, plus these variants of Cell, Frieza, Vegeta, Gohan and Trunks."
Goku nodded in response. It was easy to deduce that the energies of those they could sense and were readily familiar with were more than likely the other contestants in the tournament. So far they had identified five others beyond their own combined group.
It was the ones Goku either couldn't sense or couldn't recognise that peaked his interest.
"Only Cell has come out so far." It was Gohan 1's voice, filled with disdain. He glanced around the arena before speaking further. "Everyone else seems to be lingering inside for the moment."
"They're assessing the competition." Piccolo replied. "Same as we are."
Any further discussions were then halted. High in the sky above, a single figure appeared from an ethereal glow. The light shone bright but burned out quickly, appearing as nothing more than a flash, but had flared bright enough to draw all eyes to it.
Stood atop a small circular platform stood the Grand Minister; the personal attendant to the God of All. His presence alone prompted silence from the now full spectator stands. Those who knew who he was sat in respectful silence, those who did not simply sat in eager anticipation. He floated down from the sky until he came to a stop in the centre of the arena, high above the ring in the centre.
"Citizens of the Omni-verse," his voice boomed out, yet remained dignified and regal. "I welcome you, on behalf of the Omni-Kings, to the first ever Tournament of Time!" Cheers rang out from the stands for the first time, a stark contrast to the stunned silence of before.
"He's selling it hard isn't he?" Goku murmured to Piccolo.
"This is a new experience for him too I guess, maybe it appeals to him."
The Minister swept an arm across his front, before raising it to the sky above. "Sixteen warriors have gathered from across six timelines. Parallel universes with histories diverse and citizens varied. This Tournament will determine the greatest warrior in the cosmos, from amongst some of the greatest fighters in reality."
The Minister's eager introduction did wonders to heighten everyone's anticipation for the contest ahead. Goku's eyes gleamed as he looked to the Minister in pleasure, giddy at the prospect of making a start to the matches.
"I now present to you the benefactors of this event. Their cooperation is what has allowed for this Tournament to take place." A golden structure then floated into view above, situated high above the arena, almost too far away to see. It was hemisphere shaped, with a palace-like structure situated atop it, adorned in regal colours of gold and purple.
"Allow me to welcome the seven Grand Zeno's of the Omni-verse!"
The gods sat at the top of the arena shot to their feet in shock and awe. Many thought they had misheard the Minister's words, but upon closer inspection, that appeared not to be the case at all.
Inside the palace sat seven thrones, and on each throne sat a Grand Zeno.
"Seven Grand Zenos?!" Beerus proclaimed, falling to his knees in submission.
"Was it not obvious, Lord Beerus?" Whis tutted from behind. "Each timeline would undoubtedly have a Grand Zeno each to rule over it. No doubt they were each as interested in holding this Tournament as our own Kings were. Their approval was most certainly necessary to arrange such an event of this magnitude."
In the sidelines of the ring below, similar observations were being made.
"There's seven Zenny's up there?" Goku stated in awe. "Man, we'd better bring our a-game if we're going to top the Tournament of Power!"
While the warriors of Timeline 1 nodded in tepid understanding, those from Timeline 2 grew perplexed at Goku's words.
"You've had dealings with this Omni-King, Kakarot?" Vegeta 2 pointedly asked.
Goku chuckled. "Yeah. It wouldn't be underselling it to say that he's literally the strongest guy in existence. Like nobody else even comes close, not even Lord Beerus."
Vegeta 2 could feel the sweat collecting in his palms at that revelation. "Above even Lord Beerus you say?" He clenched a fist and hardened his expression. "Just what the hell have we gotten ourselves involved in here?"
In the golden palace above the seven Grand Zeno's held a conversation, inaudible to all except the Grand Minister levitating nearby.
"Is it time to start yet?"
"Yes, I would very much like to start as well."
"Yes, I want to see Goku fight."
"Yes, Goku is super amazing!"
"I still don't really know what a Tournament is."
"Neither do I, is it fun?"
"Yes it is very fun! You will see, you will see!"
Two of the Zenos, the ones who governed Timeline 1 in unison, were clearly the most excited of the identical group of higher beings. The remaining five sat with blank expressions and patient stares. The Grand Minister was observing from afar, and took this silence as an indication to finish his speech. "I thank you all for your patience and preparation. It is now time.
"The Tournament of Time will now begin!"