Hang my head,
Drown my fear,
Till you all just disappear...
Black Hole Sun, won't you come,
And wash away the rain?
While Jinta played with his friends outside with Ururu spectating, Trunks dawned his apron and swept the floors inside of the shop. It had been a week and a half since he arrived in Karakura Town, and he settled into a new routine. He woke up, performed assigned tasks around the shop, and helped Kisuke test new equipment.
Ichigo worked until 2:00 p.m. At 2:30, Ichigo came to the shop and trained with Trunks for a few hours in and outside of the gravity chamber. Some days, he came with Orihime, who would spectate and provide snacks. After they finished, they spent time together around town, most of the time without Chad and Uryu. However, Ichigo started school again, which meant that his free time would be reduced. Trunks didn't mind, but outside of training and working, nothing occupied his time.
The only thing that he could do to pass the time was to call home. Every other night, he'd talk to his mom and sister on the walkie-talkie. His mom felt happy for him and how soon he adapted to his new surroundings. She didn't mind when he told her he would need to stay longer than two weeks, even though she noted that Chi-Chi wouldn't feel the same way about Goten. Speaking with them gave him the little piece of home he missed.
From another room, Kisuke peaked his head. "Hey, Trunks. When you're finished sweeping, could you restock the shelves, please? After that, you can take a break."
"Got it," Trunks said. "I'm gonna go to the basement real quick and then I'll get to it."
"Not a problem. You two have fun down there."
"Ah, quit it."
Kisuke chuckled. "I understand we have thin walls up here, but the training room is for training. Keep the love-" A fist hovered above Urahara and cracked him over the head. "Ow!"
"Leave him alone, Kisuke," Yoruichi said.
"I'm only kidding. Jeez, you didn't have to resort to violence." Trunks laughed and made his way down to the gravity chamber.
The five people who used the chamber split into three different groups. Ichigo and Trunks made the first group, and the two of them used the chamber four days a week. The second group composed of Goten and Captain Hitsugaya, who used it at the same rate but alternated days with Trunks and Ichigo. The last was Captain Soi Fon, who - to no one's surprise - trained alone. Every morning, she trained inside the chamber. Trunks greeted her when she entered, but she would either respond with silence or tell him to not speak to her. Sometimes he'd chuckle it off; other times, he'd offer a playful response.
Though her presence brought excitement to his day, Soi Fon's daily use of the chamber made him uneasy. From personal experience, he knew that a body would break down from constant gravity training without rest. He thought he would go tell her she should take a break today. Trunks pressed his face into the window of the chamber, and his eyes widened once he witnessed Soi Fon crawl toward the center console in desperation.
Without a second thought, Trunks flung the door open and sprinted in. He made it to the center console and slammed the emergency stop button. The digital screen read three hundred Gs. Soi Fon pushed to her hands and knees, then tried to catch her breath. Trunks ran over to her and kneeled down.
"Are you alright?" he asked. He held out his hands, but she brushed him aside before wobbling to her feet. "Woah, take it easy."
"I'm fine," she snapped. "I didn't need your help."
Trunks narrowed his eyes. "You didn't need… Are you serious?"
"Why would I need your help? I was okay on my own."
"You would've passed out and died before you made it halfway to turning it off!"
Soi Fon gritted her teeth as she turned her eyes away from Trunks. Trunks took a deep breath and composed himself.
"Just because you're starting at a lower setting doesn't mean you're weak. It just means your body isn't used to it yet. You'll get there in no time, but you'll only get yourself killed if you go overboard."
Although she did not respond, her face softened. He had at least gotten through to her.
Trunks sighed and walked to the door. "Alright, I'll get out of your way, but please, hear me out on this. You might wanna cut back on training here every day. You'll see more progress if you do." Trunks shut the door behind him and left Soi Fon by herself.
He ran into the room with minimal effort to stop the gravity, yet she labored to move a muscle under it. At the rate she trained at, she would never catch up to him. She needed to keep going, but her body wouldn't aid her.
"Dammit!"
Trunks traveled back upstairs to finish his duties. A voice rang out from the walkie-talkie clipped to his belt buckle.
"Hello, Trunks? Can you hear me?"
Trunks' heart skipped a beat. He brought the walkie-talkie to his face. "Yeah Dad, I'm here. What's wrong?"
What his father told him next made his knees buckle.
Aizen's army had spread throughout the two universes, absorbing billions of souls and erasing populations by the hour. The warriors that made up the Universe Six Tournament of Power team had fallen, leaving only the Soul Society and the Z-Fighters as Aizen's adversaries. Even Frieza and his forces had been decimated.
Goku and Vegeta drove themselves insane chasing down any lead. Whenever they detected an energy signal, they arrived on an empty planet with no enemy. With eighty billion souls already lost, little time remained for them to act.
They stationed themselves on the Supreme Kai's Planet, where the Saiyans and the Kai combined their efforts to sense any enemy in their universe. Goku and Vegeta sat with their eyes closed; the Supreme Kai sat across from them and peered into his crystal ball.
"There!" Goku hopped to his feet and prepared to use Instant Transmission.
"Finally," Vegeta said. He jumped up and grasped onto Goku's back.
Before the Supreme Kai wished them well, the two vanished. The Saiyan duo teleported to a planet with a yellow sky and a barren wasteland below them as they floated in the air.
Goku scanned the area. "Wait, this is where Broly lives."
Multiple power levels flashed across Vegeta's senses. "Kakarot, over there!"
Vegeta took off toward the energy signals, and Goku followed close behind him. They landed on a mountain that Goku recognized as the home of Broly, Cheelai, and Lemo. However, he didn't see any of them when he peered into their cave. Instead, three figures stood inside with their backs turned.
"We're too late," Vegeta said. "But at least we found his lapdogs."
The three figures faced the Saiyans. In front of them stood a pale man with black hair, green eyes, and half of a helmet made of bone, a tall man with brown hair and lower bone jaw around his neck, and a little girl with blonde hair and a bone helmet. The man with brown hair handed the soul absorption device to the little girl standing next to him.
"Lilynette," the man said to her. "Hold this for me, will you?"
"Ahh, no way, Starrk," she said. "I wanna fight this time!"
"Just hang back. I don't plan on fighting, anyway."
A smirk crossed Vegeta's face. "I don't think you have a choice. You won't escape this time.
"Hang on," said Goku, as he looked at the pale Arrancar. "You're the guy that came to Earth with Grimmjow."
"Goku and Vegeta," Ulquiorra said. "If you have come here to stop us, your efforts will be in vain. Lord Aizen will succeed in his plan, and it would be beneficial for both of you to join him so that you hold on to your lives."
"Thanks for the offer, but we'll pass. Let's take this somewhere else. Broly still needs a place to live."
Coyote Starrk ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Are we really going to do this, Ulquiorra?"
"We have our orders. After we captured our targets, our next task is to eliminate this planet." Goku and Vegeta raised their eyebrows. With his hand lifted from his side, Ulquiorra pointed his index finger to the ground. Vegeta dashed toward him.
"Don't do it!" Goku cried out.
"Cero." A green blast left his fingertips and penetrated the ground. Vegeta halted his pursuit as the planet rumbled. A burst of hot gas and fire erupted from the core and engulfed everything on the surface.
Vampa survived, but the sky turned from its yellow hue to one of dark red. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and spouts of lava painted the landscape. The Saiyans and Arrancar floated in the air. Neither Goku, Vegeta, nor Starrk and Lilynette couldn't justify Ulquiorra's actions.
"Is he crazy!?" Lilynette asked Starrk. "He almost killed us!"
A wide-eyed Starrk shot his gaze to Ulquiorra. "Was it really necessary to do that now? You could have saved that for when we left instead of almost killing us all."
"I directed my blast to destroy only half of the core," Ulquiorra said. "I estimate this planet has approximately three minutes until it detonates."
"Why would you do this?!" Goku shouted.
"Lord Aizen found that Vampa unnecessary for his new world, so he ordered me to destroy it once we finished our duties."
Goku bared his teeth and growled. "You'll pay for that!" A fist smashed across Ulquiorra's jaw, but Goku's next attack failed to land. The two traded blows away from the others.
Vegeta raised his fists to fight with Starrk. "So, will you make the first move, or shall I?"
"You can, if you please." Starrk stretched his arms and yawned. "But I'm not really in any sort of mood to fight."
"What did you say?"
"How about we just watch their battle instead?"
"That won't be happening, but I'll make this quick and painless." Vegeta rushed at Coyote Starrk, who pushed away Lilynette and dodged a kick. Surprised that his attack didn't land, Vegeta launched a flurry of strikes. Soon, he grew frustrated at Starrk's passiveness, as well as his own inability to inflict damage.
"Damn you," Vegeta said. "Toy with me if you'd like, but I'll grind you into dust."
"I already told you I won't fight you, and it looks like you don't have the strength to make me."
"You smug bastard! I'll tear you apart!" Vegeta powered up to Super Saiyan Blue and punched Starrk in his chin. His fingers grasped the collar of Starrk's shirt and flung him to the ground. Once his enemy's back smacked against the earth, Vegeta hurled down an energy ball. The impact caused a pillar of lava to erupt.
After moments of silence, Vegeta clenched his fist and rushed toward the molten rock. "Damn him. He thinks he can toy with me and live."
Meanwhile, Goku cornered Ulquiorra against a boulder. "Give us back those people and you can still live. It's not too late to leave this all behind."
With his clothes ripped and his back against the wall, Ulquiorra drew his weapon. "How foolish a proposition. I will never leave from what Lord Aizen demands of me, even if it cost me my life again." He pointed the tip of his sword toward Goku. "Imprison, Murcielago."
Black and green energy spiraled around Ulquiorra. A menacing presence prompted Goku to leap away. The energy dissipated, and Ulquiorra emerged with a transformed body.
His hair turned white and his shirt disappeared, revealing a green hole in the center of his chest. A black robe flowed below his waist, and four black wings jutted from his back. A long white tail with black and green energy flaming from the tip flapped in the wind. Horns that radiated the same color of energy spiked from his forehead.
The exponential increase in power paralyzed Goku. Ulquiorra pointed his finger towards Goku and engulfed him in a Cero Oscuras. From the smoke of the blast, Goku darted into the air, transformed into his Super Saiyan Blue form. His orange shirt hung from his right shoulder.
Before he could spot his target on the ground, the wind whistled behind him. He whirled around, but a hand dug into his neck and crushed his windpipe. Goku coughed blood onto the Ulquiorra's hand. The pale claws tightened around Goku's throat and forced him to gasp for air. With an open hand drawn back, Ulquiorra thrust forward to the center of Goku's chest. Goku grabbed his wrist in the nick of time, but Ulquiorra withdrew his fingers, save for his pointer. Widened eyes bore witness to a point-blank Cero Oscuras.
Vegeta rushed to the molten sea to find his prey, but spun to see the black and green beam explode. Goku tumbled from the sky with his orange shirt destroyed, his blue shirt ripped from half of his torso, and smoke emanating from his body.
"No… Kakarot!" Vegeta changed his course and dashed straight for Goku. He caught him before his ally hit the ground, but looked up to see that all three Arrancar floated above his head.
"Our mission is complete." With a wave of his finger, Ulquiorra opened the Garganta. "We can report back to Lord Aizen."
"Finally," Starrk said.
Lilynette groaned. "You're so lazy, it makes me sick."
"Be quiet, Lilynette. We need to get out of here."
It wrenched Vegeta's stomach to watch them leave, but with the odds stacked against him, he yielded his pride.
He needed to find a way for both of them to leave the planet. At first, he searched for a ship that Cheelai and Lemo used to arrive at Vampa, but when he didn't spot any nearby. No other means of escape seemed viable. The planet became unstable, and with only seconds left to evacuate, Vegeta lost hope.
With Goku over his shoulder, he gripped his palms and lowered his head. "No… is this how it ends? Dammit, I can't belie-"
A hand rested on Vegeta's back and transported him to the Sacred World of the Kais. Bewildered, Vegeta turned around and saw that the Supreme Kai's attendant, Kibito, saved them.
"Put him down and get to Earth!" the Supreme Kai shouted.
"Earth?" Vegeta asked. "What do you-"
"There's no time to explain. Just hurry!"
Vegeta dropped Goku's body. Once he understood the Supreme Kai's urgency, his eyes flared open.
No, not at a time like this.
In the busy streets of Satan City, Gohan walked down the sidewalk with a satchel across his body and groceries in his hand. Though he trained with Piccolo for most of the week, he continued on with his normal life as well. That meant that he still needed to teach calculus at West City College. The universe was in danger, but he had to provide for his family.
"Sorry I'm late," he said once he entered his home. "The lines at the store were ridiculous."
The news played on the television, but neither his daughter nor his wife greeted him. Confused, he stepped into the kitchen to set his groceries down.
"Hey, Videl?" he called out. "Pan? Are you here?" He searched the master bedroom, the bathroom, Pan's bedroom, and his study, but found nothing. Worry took hold of him. He ran to the back of the house and peered into his backyard through a sliding glass door.
He flung the door open and sprinted to their swing set. As Gohan reached down, he picked up a dress that belonged to his wife, and right beside them laid Pan's clothing. His heart pounded as his mouth fell open.
No, this can't be right. I… I didn't even sense anyone.
Before he questioned the circumstances any further, blood-curdling screams came from the front of his house. Gohan flew over the roof of his house to get a bird's-eye view of the street. Clothing filled the streets. Satan City fell silent; not a single person remained.
Gohan trembled, but a nearby presence brought him back to his senses. Above him stood a blonde haired, brown-skinned woman who wore the same outfit as Aizen. She held onto a device that looked like the one Babidi's henchmen used to drain his energy at the Twenty-Fifth World Martial Arts Tournament. This one contained the souls of all the inhabitants of Satan City, and possibly more than that.
He needed to get it back, so he charged her with all of his might and he threw a punch at her face. She dodged his attack and kicked him in the stomach. The attack caused him to wince, but he grabbed her leg and flung her away. In the few seconds before the woman recovered, Gohan powered up to his maximum. He appeared behind her and ducked a underneath a slash from her sword. An uppercut from his fist sent her higher into the sky. He then placed his hands in front of his forehead.
"Masenko-" Gohan pulled his hands apart. A strong enough attack would destroy the container carrying the souls.
His hesitation allowed the Arrancar woman to recover. She reversed her grip on her blade and pointed her Zanpakuto downward. "Hunt, Tiburon."
A heart-shaped wave of water emerged from her back and surrounded her. Her power increase at a rapid rate and prompted Gohan prepared himself. He had a city to protect underneath, but also be cautious not to destroy the device in her hand. The fear of failure rattled his nerves.
The Arrancar emerged from the water in a new attire: spaulders on her shoulders, a bone collar covering that extended down to her breasts, and a thin line of bone that formed from her chest to her mini skirt. She sported new white boots and elbow-length gloves, but Gohan saw the biggest change in her right hand: a broad sword with three V-shaped openings on its side.
The woman pointed her sword and uttered, "Cascada."
A giant torrent of water hurled downward. Unable to react to its speed, the water swallowed him whole. The streets of Satan City flooded, and as Gohan floated back into the air, his opponent disappeared. He searched around him, but then sensed a familiar energy rise from above.
"Oh no." He dashed toward the Lookout Tower. "Piccolo!"
Once he arrived above the tower, all that remained of Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo were there scattered clothes. Next to them, three other women held smaller soul absorption devices and walked through the Garganta.
"No!" Gohan raced down to prevent their escape.
"How pathetic," she muttered. The portal shut in front of the women. Gohan slid on the tile, then ran out to the edge of the tower. He scoured the planet for a single energy source, but none turned up. He was alone on a hollow Earth.
The pain of losing his loved ones, as well as the Earth's population, struck him at his core. With his eyes shut tight, Gohan dropped to his hands and knees. He thrust his fist into the ground and broke a tile. He wept alone, but gasped when Vegeta flew up from the edge of the tower and landed next to him.
Vegeta stared down at Gohan, then scanned over at the clothes of the Lookout inhabitants. "They're all gone. Not even the androids made it out of this."
Gohan looked up at Vegeta with rage and tears in his eyes. "Where were you? They were all helpless. We didn't see it coming. Where were you?!" Goku teleported next to Gohan with torn clothing. "Dad? W-What happened to you?"
"We ran into trouble on Vampa," Goku said. "They're a lot stronger than we thought." Gohan wiped his tears from his face and he rose from his knees. His head remained sunken. "I'm sorry, son.
"No Dad, it's my fault." Gohan turned to Vegeta. "Vegeta, I'm-"
"We don't have time to hold hands and discuss our feelings," Vegeta said. "We need to update Trunks and your brother on the situation." Vegeta fell from the tower and flew down. Goku and Gohan trailed close behind him.
"The three we saw on Vampa acted as a diversion. Their real aim was to attack more planets. I would be shocked if they hadn't reached their goal already."
"But why haven't they come after us yet?" Goku asked. "Wouldn't he wanna get rid of us first?"
Vegeta grinned. "Isn't it obvious, Kakarot? Aizen wants a challenge from true fighters. As for Broly, he might have just seen him as a raging nuisance more than a challenge. He may be an underhanded coward, but he still is half a Saiyan."
Vegeta swiveled his head around and scowled. "That bastard doesn't know half of the hell he's brought on himself."
Gohan turned to his father. "Hey, Dad?"
"What's up?" Goku asked.
"I'm sorry. I didn't stop them."
"Neither did we. You did the best you could."
"But I didn't. I neglected my training for so long, and then I trained with Piccolo because it was comfortable. I didn't think I could keep up with you guys, but I can't make excuses anymore. Would it be okay if I trained with you two from now on?"
Goku beamed at his son. "Of course! We'll start as soon as we get back."
They soon touched down at Capsule Corporation. Two sets of clothes laid in the yard beside them. Vegeta glanced, then walked into his home. Goku clenched his fist as he walked behind him, while Gohan lowered his head and followed. Vegeta made it to the bedroom and grabbed the transuniveral communicator that sat on a dresser. He then walked outside with Goku and Gohan.
With the device lifted the device to his mouth, he pushed a button on its side. "Hello, Trunks. Can you hear me?"
After three seconds of silence, Trunks answered. "Yeah, Dad, I'm here. What's wrong?"
"I'm going to make this short and to the point, so listen up. First, I want you to find the names of two of Aizen's men. A man with pale skin and green eyes, and a lanky man with brown hair."
Before Vegeta continued, Gohan interjected. "And a girl with brown skin and blonde hair."
"Is that Gohan?" Trunks asked.
Vegeta ignored them both. "Second, whoever the man with green eyes is, he has enough power to overwhelm Kakarot, so prepare yourself accordingly. I suspect Aizen has shown nothing close to his full power yet, either."
"He beat Goku!? How?"
"He powered up to a level stronger than Super Saiyan Blue, that's how. But the third…" Vegeta cleared his throat before he continued. He spoke in a softer but wavering voice. "The third and last thing is that Aizen's forces attacked Earth. No one but Gohan survived."
A five-second silence prevailed. "So… Mom and Bulla are-"
"They're gone. Aizen's soldiers came while Kakarot and I fought on another planet. To make matters worse, they probably reached their goal of a hundred billion souls; I'll confirm that with you later."
"Okay…"
"That's all for now." Vegeta brought the communicator away from his mouth and turned to Goku. "Alright, let's go."
Goku nodded, and the three teleported to Beerus' Planet. Once there, Vegeta tossed the communicator on the ground and soared in another direction. Halfway around the planet, he landed on a mountaintop. With clenched fists and twitching eyes, he exposed all of his pent-up rage.
First, they make a mockery of me on two separate occasions, and then they take my family.
"Raaaaaah!" Vegeta shouted with all of his might. A massive explosion burst from the release of his power.
Aizen and that cocky bastard are going to suffer by my hands. I will make them beg me for mercy, and then I will crush the life out of them. They will feel my wrath if it is the last thing I do.
A shock wave boomed from a distance. Gohan shielded his face from the wind, but his father powered up to Super Saiyan Blue and paid it no mind.
"Come on," he said. "We've got a lot of work to do, and if you wanna get stronger, I can't take it easy on you."
Gohan released his energy and stepped back to fight. He knew he had to spend the next six months in agony to give himself a chance to save his family. "That's the way it needs to be." He lunged at Goku with the hope that he would surpass his limits.