Chapter 8
West City
The small army of Meta Coolers who had entered this world through the wormhole a few moments earlier, along with Bojack´s group, were moving closer to the city.
A few fighters were however already moving to met them.
The closest one was the young Trunks from this time. And Son Gohan and his brother Goten, who had just arrived here from their home and joined him.
Son Goku was still on Seventeen´s Island, together with Marron, Krillin, Eighteen, Muten Roshi, Oolong and Seventeen himself.
"I will go now," Goku said. "I will deal with this Broly."
"Take me with you," Marron asked. "There is something I want to try."
"Then take me too and we can..." Krillin begann to say.
"No," Marron said, "I am sorry Dad, but I don´t think there is much what you can do about this opponents," she told him. "Cooler´s robots are very powerful. Maybe about as strong as the Super Saiyans had been before they first trained in the time-chamber... every single one of them," she clarified.
This actually made Krillin pause. He had become strong over the years. But not exactly this strong. (At least not yet.)
"And they are not only strong, but also heavily armored. So that it is very difficult to damage them," Marron continued. "And even if you do manage to harm them, they can regenerate themselves."
"Okay," Krillin said, "I guess you are right. There is really not much I can do here."
Eighteen looked around, not quite sure if she should come with them or stay here with her family of this time.
Then she made her decision.
"Take me as well," she said. "Krillin, Seventeen, you two will take care of Marron, right?"
"Of course," Krillin said.
"Along with the rest of the island - yes," Seventeen replied.
Goku teleported away and took Marron and Eighteen with him.
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The ones most surprised however were Future Trunks and Vegeta, who were still training in the Room of Spirit and Time, as Piccolo suddenly burst in.
"Trunks, Vegeta," he called out.
"What do you want?" Vegeta asked him.
"A Super Saiyan and an entire army of robots have suddenly appeared out of thin air. It seems they came through a wormhole like the time-machine. And they are looking pretty much like the enemies you have described Trunks."
"What?" both Future Trunks and Vegeta called out at the same time.
"They had followed us somehow?" Trunks stated.
"It looks like it," Piccolo replied. "And a number of them are heading straight for West City," he added.
"What?" Vegeta said again.
"They are heading home," Trunks said.
As they stepped outside, they could sense Broly´s enormous powerlevel... and also the ones of the others.
"Bojack?" Vegeta questioned. "That guy too?"
"Yes, it seems they have recruited a future version of him and his group as well," Piccolo answered.
"Bojack? Who is that?" Future Trunks asked.
"Some alien warlord who had tried to take over Earth a short time after the Cell Games. We defeated him and his group when they showed themselves. You were there," Vegeta stated.
"It was when you came back to tell us you defeated the Androids in the future," Dende clarified.
Trunks shook his head. This time-travel effects could really be a headache.
"That was the other Trunks from different future," he said. "I never came back another time after the Cell Games until now."
He had thought about doing that, just a few weeks ago from his point of few, but decided against it.
"I see," Piccolo said.
"Lets go," Vegeta said.
But in this moment Son Goku, Marron and Eighteen suddenly appeared before them.
"Kakarot," Vegeta said.
"Hey - I thought it would be faster if I bring you along as well," Goku told them.
"Alright," Vegeta said. "We need to get back as quick as possible."
"Piccolo?" Goku asked.
"I would like to come, but they might attack here as well. So someone has to stay and defend the palace and Dende," Piccolo responded.
"Wait a moment," Marron said. "Every day outside is one year inside this room, right?"
"Of course," Goku replied.
"That means every minute here is 365 minutes inside, a bit over six hours."
"Ah - yeah?" he said a bit unsurely.
"Goku can you come back for me and mom in 10 minutes?" Marron asked him.
"That would still only give you around two and a half days inside," Piccolo said.
"I know. But you see, one of my greatest problems with my power is that I can not properly use my Infinite energy source," Marron explained. "They had planted Seventeen´s energy reactor into me... after they had murdered him," she reminded them.
"In the future I came from Seventeen had become stronger than you can even imagine at this time. Beby had send someone he knew to get close to him and then had him attacked when his guard was down."
Marron knew that Goku and especially Vegeta could see this statement as a challenge. But she was only stating facts, as far as it came to her.
"Well - maybe you would have become as strong as well, if you had not spend a decade under mind-control," she said.
Vegeta frowned. The more he head about this Beby-character, the more he wanted to kill him. He would not miss his chance when he arrived in this timeline. But for now they needed to get back to West City. And he was quickly running out of patience.
"But I am far weaker than Seventeen had been when he was first activated," Marron pointed out. "Going by that, I should be much stronger than I am right now. But I am not. In the end, the reactor is not really mine and was not created for me.
My mother - well, my mother from my timeline thought that the reactor is not working correctly inside my body and that I am so only able to use a part of it´s power.
Bulma thought something similar. But she could not really find any physical reasons. So she believed that the artificial energy was simply not, well - in singe with me and I needed to learn to use it efficiently.
But I never really had the time to learn it... And maybe I didn´t actually want to, given how I had got this power," Marron admitted.
They had experimented on her, put the energy reactor from her murdered uncle into her body. They all understood how she must have felt about this.
"So two and a half days with someone who is used to using infinite might already make a difference."
She looked directly at Eighteen as she said this. Her mother only gave her a short nod with her head.
"Okay," Goku said. "Then I will get you in that ten minutes then."
"How about we finally leave now," Vegeta stated more than a bit impatient. "I could already be halfway back in West City if I just flew there by myself in the first place."
Future Trunks knew his father was exaggerating. But he had a point. What was the point of Goku teleporting them, when they instead were wasting so much time now.
"Alright," Goku just said, touched Vegeta and Trunks by the shoulders and teleported away with them.
They would reappeared one moment later over West City.
Marron and Eighteen meanwhile entered the Room of Spirit and Time together, while Piccolo was watching over and guarding Kami´s Palace.
xxxxxxx
West City - one minute earlier
The sky before the town was filled with Meta Coolers.
And they were not the only ones. Bojack and his group were approaching as well.
But Gohan, Goten and the small Trunks were already there, attempting to fight them off.
The Meta Coolers were strong. But not nearly strong enough.
xxx
Right now Gohan and even Goten and Trunks were ripping through them like though paper.
And Gohan was not even using his Ultimate Form now and was `only´ using Super Saiyan Two.
Trunks ripped the arm of one of the Cooler robots off with one punch and blew away the upper body of another one with a Galick Gun. While Goten punched a large whole through the chest of a Meta Cooler.
But that was nothing compared to Gohan, who blew three Coolers apart with ki blasts and punched another apart with one blow in less than three seconds.
But the first look might have been deceiving. The Coolers they had just wrecked were all also regenerating within seconds and were just as if nothing had happened as few moments later.
While Gohan, Trunks and Goten were actually loosing energy, not much so far. But in the long run, it would show if they let things continue like this.
And Bojack and his team would be there to assist their `allies´ as well.
"We need to disintigrate them, so that they can not regenerate," Gohan said. "Try to destroy every last part of them."
"Okay," Child Trunks replied.
But then Young Trunks and Goten suddenly felt as if they were caught by something.
It were Bojack´s henchmen, Gohan saw. Two of them, the small magic user with the turban and the sword-fighter, had caught them with these psychic strings they could form. He remembered it from the time they had fought the Bojack of their own timeline.
"Gohan," Goten called out.
Gohan wanted to move.
But the two others of Bojack´s warriors, the woman and the tall guy with a mohawk - Zangya and Bido - were already at his side and were using the same technique against him.
He felt the threads, that were not really threads but manifestations of psychic power, wringing around his arms and legs and beginning to draw away his ki energy.
Gohan just smiled. They were just as strong as the version of them he had fought 8 years ago. That meant he could easily break out of their trap.
He just concentrated his energy in a short burst and ripped their psychic threads apart.
They and the rest of Bojack´s men who were holding Goten and Trunks were obviously shocked at this.
In the same moment Gohan suddenly dis- and reappeared right next to Kogu, who had caught Goten and kicked him in the stomach.
Kogu bended over in pain, forced to release Goten.
Then Gohan raised his arm and fired a blast at Bujin. It was not too powerful, at least by Gohan´s standards, but still having to dodge it caused Bujin to loose his hold over Trunks as well.
Bojack looked at his warriors irritated, but so far he didn´t interfere directly. He could sense the power Gohan had as a Super Saiyan Two and he did not like it at all. He knew it was far above his own, even if he did not want to admit it.
Instead another wave of now two dozen Meta Coolers swarmed at Gohan, Goten and Trunks. At least they were aiming for them, instead of destroying the city behind them.
Gohan fired a Masenko that hit and completely obliterated one of the Meta Coolers. At least that one would not come back.
Trunks and Goten powered up again and placed themselves between the Meta Coolers and the city.
"We will stop them from getting to the city Gohan," Trunks said to him, "deal you with this alien guys."
"Okay," Gohan replied.
"And we will gladly help you with that," they heard Vegeta´s voice close behind them.
As they turned around, they saw that Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks had arrived.
Goku however teleported again and vanished right away to confront Broly. He had sensed him heading in the direction of Kami´s Palace, where Goku had been before. But now he had stopped, obviously since Goku was now here instead of there. Broly was clearly hunting for him. So he would make it easier.
That left Future Trunks and Vegeta.
"Pathetic weaklings," Bojack growled at his henchmen, "power up and transform," he ordered.
With that he turned into his other, stronger form. His skin changed color and his hair turned red and his power got an immense boost.
His warriors did the same thing.
But for the Z-fighters, it barely made a difference.
Future Trunks and Vegeta simply transformed into their own Super Saiyan Two forms.
Bojack flinched as he saw them and sensed their energy, three of that damned improved golden form now. His allies had told them about it, that they had a second state beyond their so called Super Saiyan. But he had waved it off, confident that they would still not be able to match him. His men perhaps, but not himself.
But now...? He might be forced to use the item this Cooler had given to him.
His men? While Bojack himself had flinched, they were starring in horror.
"I said attack," Bojack called out.
After short hesitation his men followed his command.
Kogu swung his sword at Future Trunks, but he easily blocked it with his own.
Zangya at the same time moved to kick him from the other side. But he just as easily grabbed her leg with his other hand and stopped her.
There comrades Bido and Bujin meanwhile simply fired a barrage of ki blasts at Vegeta, who however only smiled.
xxxxxxx
Goku meanwhile reappeared right in front of Broly.
"Kakarot," Broly said.
"Hello Broly is it, right? - you are looking for me?"
"Yes - are you ready to die?"
"I could ask you the same question," Goku replied.
"No - this time it will be different. You know, I have killed you before Kakarot. But back then it was not just you and me. This time there will be no question about the outcome. I am much stronger than I was ever before," Broly claimed.
He powered up from his Super Saiyan form, that already rivalled a SSJ2 now, to his `Legendary´ SSJ Form.
"Stronger than ever before, you say? So am I," Goku said.
And he transformed into Super Saiyan Three. As powerful as Broly´s, with the help of Meta Cooler improved, power was, it was still far surpassed by Goku´s.
"Kakarot," Broly growled in sheer rage as he saw this new transformation.
He then attacked in blind anger and tried to land a punch on Goku.
But he just moved his own body slightly and caught Broly´s fist... and then send a punch on his own into his gut.
Broly bend over in visible pain and spit out blood. It looked like one or two of his rips had cracked.
But then he just started to laugh madly.
xxxxxxx
Meanwhile inside West City, the fight at the city limit had of course not gone unnoticed.
A large number of people had gathered on the streets. Others were watching through the windows of their homes.
And the media were already starting to research and later report about the mysterious fight that was taken part at the town´s border.
It was like back then with Cell. But this time it was not only one monster, but dozens of them.
Mister Satan had already been informed. But so far there had been no response from him.
xxxxxxx
Before the blasts Bido and Bujin had fired could hit Vegeta, he fired a larger blast of his own, that obliterated many of his opponent´s blast and forced them to move aside to dodge it.
A moment later however Vegeta had already moved forward and was right next to them.
He landed a punch at Bido that ripped a whole right through his chest and the resulting energy vaporized his entire body a split-second later.
Bojack´s remaining followers and even Bojack himself looked shocked at how easily one of them had been eliminated.
"Maybe you should just stop this," Gohan said in the direction of both Bojack himself and his followers. "It seems to me that you have no real idea who exactly you are facing. Do you know that we have already defeated you in this timeline eight years ago? And we have become stronger since then. Have you considered that maybe your allies have only recruited you as cannon fodder?"
Gohan did not really expect this to work. Whatever else they were, Bojack and his men were hardened fighters. And he was having them in an iron-grip. How much of it was actual loyalty and how much simply fear was something Gohan did not know.
And going by what he saw last time, Bojack was simply too proud to give up, even if it was more than clear that he was outmatched and would rather kill his own men before allowing them to.
But it could not really be bad to discourage the enemy.
"And maybe you should look out for your boss too," Gohan addressed now only the henchmen. "He killed you himself the last time," he said towards Zangya, "just for falling back when it was clear that you had no chance and standing between us."
"Don´t expect me to believe your lies," Zangya, who was still held by Future Trunks grip, responded angrily. But going by her tone, it seemed like she was not entirely convinced by what she was saying.
"You have given them a chance Gohan," Vegeta said. "How about we stop toying around and eliminate them now?"
"Alright," Gohan replied, now serious as steel.
Future Trunks channeled more of his ki through his sword and Kogu´s blade this time simply broke apart against his own.
Then with a move of his hand he broke Zangya´s arm, who cried out in pain.
Vegeta meanwhile charged at Bojack.
And Gohan powered up into his Ultimate Form, he remembered that he had not used this state for nearly a year and was not entire sure if it still worked, but it did... and he faced the army of Meta Coolers.
Vegeta´s fist clashed with Bojack´s, whose hand however broke against the Super Saiyan Two´s.
He starred at Vegeta in pain and hatred as he held his ruined hand.
Then however he grinned malicious.
"You will pay for this," he said.
And with his other hand he took something out of a pocket in his clothes, a globe of silvery metal and send a little bit of ki into it. The suddenly the object seemed to reform itself and turned into a silvery liquid... and merged with Bojack´s arm.
xxxxxxx
Meanwhile in the Son Home
Chichi, Bulma and Bra/Kiviya were still sitting together in the house.
"You are not going to help?" Chichi asked Bra.
"I... there is not much I can do," she replied hesitantly and with a gloom expression. "I am not nearly strong enough to do anything against Cooler´s robots and my... mind control can not affect them."
She was more than a bit reluctant to admit that she basically planted parasitic spores into people that controlled their brains.
A parasit, that was what she truly was, wasn´t she?
Just like her father had been. Their real power was controlling others and using their strength for themselves. Either in the form of using them like puppets or more directly by absorbing their energy.
"I see," Chichi replied.
She and Bulma gave each other a short look.
It was obvious to both of them that she was very emberassed about her `weakness´. Ironically, since she was objectively seen already one of the most powerful beings who had ever existed on this planet. But this seemed to mean little if you were outmatched by the ones who remained.
xxxxxxx
Broly was still laughing like a maniac.
And then Goku saw that something was happening to him. Something that looked like a metallic liquid was suddenly flowing out and then all over his body, covering his skin. It was the same color like the Cooler robots, Goku noticed.
And then Broly´s power increased even more... and more.
xxc
Powerlevels:
Future Timeline:
Future Trunks: 22.000.000 - SSJ: 1,1 Billion - ASSJ: 1,55 Billion - USSJ: 2,9 Billion
After Room of Spirit and Time: 40.000.000 - SSj: 2 Billion - SSj2: 4 Billion
Marron: (Human:) 140.000 - (Android mode:) 290.000.000
Bra/Kiviya: 6.000.000
Meta Cooler Prime (upgraded): 7 Billion
Meta Coolers: 230.000.000 - ...
Broly (powered up): SSj: 4,7 Billion - LSSJ: 9 Billion - Ghetty Form: 17 Billion
Doctor Gero: 310.000.000
Bojack: Form 1: 2 Billion - Form 2: 3 Billion - Ghetty Form: 5,5 Billion
xxcc
Present Timeline:
Son Goku: 50.200.000 - SSj 2,51 Billion - SSj2: 5,02 Billion - SSj3: 20,08 Billion
Vegeta: 50.200.000 - SSj 2,51 Billion - SSj2: 5,02 Billion - SSj3: 20,08 Billion
Gohan: 42.000.000 - SSj: 2,1 Billion - SSj2: 4,2 Billion - Ultimate Form: 70 Billion
Piccolo: 1,5 Billion
Young Trunks: 8.000.000 - SSj: 400.000.000
Goten: 8.000.000 - SSj: 400.000.000