Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

79. Chapter 78: Training - Team Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 78: Training – Team Vegeta

Within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber…

Three months within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had passed since Vegeta, Future Trunks, Raditz, and Future Daikon had gone in. The two teens of the future both charged at Raditz, shouting at the top of their lungs. But Raditz simply smirked and blocked their attacks. Future Trunks and Future Daikon both flinched, being forced back by Raditz and chased by a tracking Double Sunday. Both of them blasted their pursuing blast and then lunged forward. Future Trunks tackled Raditz's legs and Future Daikon angled upward and kneed his father in the face.

Raditz fell back and both of the teens tried to follow up. But Raditz responded with a kick to each of their chests. Future Trunks rebounded first, charging at Raditz once more. They had a quick back and forth exchange before Raditz sent Future Trunks to the floor with a palm strike to the jaw. Future Daikon tried to attack from behind, but Raditz leapt over him, landing on the boy's back and trapping him into an armbar. The elder Saiyan chuckled. "You two have got some moves. You both work together really well~"

Future Daikon used his free arm to push himself up. "Th-Thanks, Dad..."

Future Trunks stood up and shouted. "Daikon! Super Saiyan!"

The other nodded and then both of them exploded with golden light. Raditz flew upwards and stared down at the two of them with a sigh. "Oh, come on... can't you take it easy on your poor, old dad? I'm getting up there in years, ya know?"

Future Daikon rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. One foot in the grave, right?"

Raditz cracked his neck. "Uh-huh~"

And then, he shouted. "Kaioken x40!"

The two teens charged as Raditz took a fighting stance and the sparring resumed. Future Trunks and Future Daikon were both putting out more power than Raditz, but Raditz was able to keep up with them. He clashed against the two boys, often using their own movements against them and forcing them to hit one another as much as they hit him. Raditz raised his hand and charged a pink blast, throwing it at the two. They both quickly dodged out of the way and resumed their attack, but Raditz merely smirked in response. "Rebound Saturday Crush!"

The sound of something rebounding against the floor caught the two teens' attention. They both turned just in time to see the pink blast bouncing back towards them. The blast crashed into both of them and sent a Ki-based shock through their bodies. Raditz pressed a hand to each of their backs. "Super Double Sunday!"

*POP*

The blasts shot Future Trunks and Future Daikon forward. Future Trunks cracked his eyes open and gasped in shock. Raditz was already on the ground below. He smirked and delivered a jumping spin kick to Future Trunks' cheek. And then he booted Future Daikon in the stomach. Both of them went flying and bounced across the Time Chamber floor, eventually coming to a rest and letting their Super Saiyan forms disperse. Seeing this, Raditz allowed his power to drop as well, falling onto his butt and breathing heavily. "Y-You guys are both strong... but... you need to work on dividing your focus. Y-You're too... too single-minded in your approach..."

Future Trunks groaned and sat up. "How are you so fast?"

Raditz closed his eyes, rubbing his face. "People seem to forget, Kakarot isn't the only person who learned new tricks on Yardrat."

Future Daikon nodded. "Oh yeah. Is that what the popping noise was?"

Raditz nodded. "Yeah, I-"

Suddenly, a harsh gust of golden wind shot out from the endless void. The force of the wind was strong enough to knock all three of the Saiyans backwards. Raditz groaned and glared out into the pure, white expanse. "What the hell is he doing out there?!"

A little over two months earlier…

An explosion rang out that sent a massive mushroom cloud rising into the infinite void of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. In front of the explosion stood Vegeta, calm and mildly scuffed. But, at the same time, radiating frustration and annoyance. It had only been a couple of weeks since they had all entered the Time Chamber, but Vegeta was already growing tired of this. "I'm not asking for much! Just knock me down! That's all you have to do! Just one of you, manage to knock me off of my damn feet!"

Emerging from the explosion, Future Trunks, Future Daikon, and Raditz all looked ragged. Vegeta sneered at the sight of them and fired a single Ki bolt at each of their chests, knocking each of them over. Raditz and Future Daikon both landed flat on their backs, but Future Trunks rolled through and got back onto his feet. He shot a Ki bolt of his own, but Vegeta merely slapped it away. Raditz and Future Daikon both stood. The two teens of the future both activated Super Saiyan, and Raditz activated his Kaioken x45. Vegeta rolled his eyes and activated his Super Saiyan form as well. And then, quick as a bolt of lightning, Vegeta shot forward and kicked Raditz in the side of the head. As Raditz went flying, Future Trunks and Future Daikon both charged at Vegeta. They each threw a punch, but Vegeta easily caught them. He pulled the two of them by their wrists, making them smash into each other's face, and then tossed them in the air and blasted them.

As Vegeta glared up at them, a blast suddenly smashed into his back and caused the prince some discomfort. He turned and glanced over at Raditz, who was barely standing on his own two feet. Raditz gritted his teeth and summoned another blast in his hand.

*POP*

Vegeta shook his head, and then he jabbed his elbow back and into Raditz's gut. Raditz gasped, his eyes going white, and then Vegeta simply let him fall to the floor in a heap. The prince shook his head in disgust. "Pathetic."

Future Daikon appeared behind him, going for a kick. Vegeta seized the boy by the foot and heaved him into the air, slamming him down onto Raditz in a show of brute strength. "Pathetic!"

Finally, Future Trunks appeared overhead, holding a massive Finish Buster over himself. He levied the attack down at Vegeta, but Vegeta responded by countering with a Big Bang Attack. The two blasts met and caused a massive explosion. Future Trunks was stunned. But then, through the smoke, Vegeta shot forward. He slammed his fist into Future Trunks' face twice, followed by a kick to the gut and an elbow to the ribs. Finally, Vegeta grabbed Future Trunks by his hair, whipping him around, and smashing a blast into the boy's chest, which sent him shooting down towards Future Daikon and Raditz and resulted in another earth-shaking kaboom. Vegeta landed, staring down at the three opponents. "Utterly pathetic! I can't believe that I've wasted nearly a month on this nonsense! You two brats haven't improved in the least since we've come in here and it's pissing me off!"

Future Daikon pushed himself up. "Th-That's not true. We've all gotten stronger... Y-You're just a beast..."

Raditz groaned. "Try cooling off a bit, Vegeta. Nobody is going to want to improve if all you do is act like an asshole towards them!"

Vegeta glared out of the corner of his eye. "What was that? I have trouble understanding non-Super Saiyans when they speak. You might wanna try being a little louder!"

Raditz flinched. Vegeta shook his head. "Continue wasting your time if you wish, but I am done for today. I'm going to take a nap."

As Vegeta walked off, Raditz scowled at him. But then, he looked around and saw the defeated looks on Future Trunks and Future Daikon's faces. He sighed. "Don't pay attention to Vegeta. He talks too much. You're both doing fine."

The two of them both nodded, as if to say "thank you", but they both wordlessly got up and walked back into the Time Chamber temple. Raditz sighed and shook his head. "Damn it, Vegeta..."

The next day…

Future Trunks and Future Daikon both woke up around the same time. They both got into their clothes and walked out into the void, ready to get back to their training. However, the sight that met them was a confusing one. Raditz was standing there alone, gripping a piece of paper in his fist. The two of them walked up to Raditz and he uncrumpled the piece of paper for them to read. It was a messy scrawl, exactly how Vegeta wrote whenever he had to. Its message was simple. "I'm better off on my own."

Back in the present…

After enjoying a bath, Future Trunks and Future Daikon both sat in the kitchen and waited as Raditz cooked their dinner. Future Daikon sniffed the air and his mouth started to water. "That smells so good! How do you know how to cook like that?!"

Raditz shrugged, his white apron wrinkling. "Launch's ankles swelled a lot when she was pregnant with your sister. So, I asked Chi-Chi for some help learning how to cook. It wasn't what you would call easy, but I eventually learned how to make a few things..."

The elder Saiyan turned, slamming his wok down onto the dinner table. "Like Hot Wok Fried Rice. Now, dig in and enjoy~"

Future Trunks and Future Daikon both stared at the rice in awe. They immediately picked up their chopsticks, gave thanks for their food, and began digging in, as did Raditz. Raditz's mouth was half-full, but he turned to Future Daikon. "So, that jacket that you wear, is it something that your mom had?"

Future Daikon shook his head. "Nah. Mom always told me this was an outfit she wanted to get my dad to wear, she just never got the chance."

Raditz looked Future Daikon up and down, taking in the brown bomber jacket and white t-shirt combo with a matching pair of denim jeans, black shoes, and black driver's gloves. "Hm... I'll have to ask Launch about that outfit when this is all over. I really do like the way it looks."

Future Daikon smiled. "I think it would look good on you~"

As the two of them laughed and got on, however, Future Trunks remained silent. He was enjoying the food, and he was very grateful that Raditz had taken the time to make it, but something was still really bothering him as he stared over at the remaining empty seat at the table. Noticing this, Raditz swallowed his mouthful and spoke a bit more seriously. "You two are both making great progress. With the power you have, based on what we've seen of the Androids, either of you could take one of the Androids in a one-on-one fight."

This brought a smile upon Future Trunks and Future Daikon's faces. Raditz chuckled. "If I had to compare you two to somebody, I would say that you're both just like Gohan. Quick on the uptake, easy to teach, and able to improve seemingly limitlessly..."

He leaned back in his chair; a tad lost in thought. "Saiyan Hybrids sure are something, huh? You take the best aspects of your Saiyan heritage and mix it with the best aspects of your Human heritage..."

He glanced at Future Trunks. "Even Trunks, although he lacks his tail, is able to focus his power and keep up with the two of us. He's even outpacing us, in some regards..."

Lightening up a bit, Future Trunks smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the encouraging words, sir..."

Future Daikon turned to his father. "So, Dad, do you feel any closer to becoming Super Saiyan?"

A bead of sweat trailed down Raditz's face, but he answered swiftly and affirmatively. "No."

Both of the boys flinched. Raditz sighed. "Yeah, it seems as if the power just doesn't feel like coming out."

Future Daikon cocked his head. "H-Have you tried looking at past emotional trauma? Both myself and Trunks ascended, but only after we went through something that we found personally tragic. So, that same logic should apply to you. Right, Trunks?"

Future Trunks nodded. "In theory, yes."

Raditz closed his eyes, reflecting on his entire life: his abuse at the hands of Saiyan society for the way he was born, his abuse at the hands of Nappa and Vegeta for his weakness, his own death, the death of Gine, etc. "I'm going with one of two things... either I haven't experienced enough trauma yet, or I'm just too numb..."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "But I'm not going to let that be a roadblock. If Super Saiyan won't come to me, then... to hell with Super Saiyan! I got a single year in this place, so I can't keep wasting time on something that just isn't making any progress. I'm a smart guy, I can come up with workarounds like I always have!"

Future Daikon smirked. "Oh, really?"

Raditz stood, having a good stretch. "Yeah! I already mastered using the Kaioken at pretty high levels and for good lengths of time! I just need to reflect on my faults in the past and improve on them. It shouldn't be that hard to come up with something useful in the next 9 months..."

The two teens smiled at Raditz. He chuckled. "Now, you two finish up the rest of that rice. We're not going to let up tomorrow. We're going to keep going until we reach some sort of breakthrough."

1 month later…

As the clashes continued in front of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's temple, the results were much different this time around. Future Trunks and Future Daikon were both Super Saiyans, and they were practically playing tag with Raditz. They came at their older mentor with all that they had and, as a result, Raditz was barely able to dodge their various attacks. It was pretty clear to both him and the two of them that they had surpassed him by a pretty wide margin. Raditz had bumped up his Kaioken usage to a Times 46 degree, but it was still having some pretty significant strain on his body. Raditz, however, simply chose to power through the pain in order to better acclimate himself to it at a more rapid clip.

Knowing that his blows weren't nearly as strong against these two opponents, Raditz chose to go the more indirect route of blocking and redirecting: defending against attacks where he could and turning the force back on the opponent when granted the opportunity. Raditz took a blow to the ribs and gagged in pain, but muscled his way through and quickly returned fire by slamming Future Trunks to the ground with a belly-to-belly suplex. Future Trunks recovered, but just in time to see Future Daikon flying right towards him. The two slammed into one another, but very quickly recovered into firing a barrage of blasts at Raditz. Raditz responded by throwing up an energy shield, allowing the blasts to build up a nice smokescreen. Future Trunks and Future Daikon both braced themselves, hearing a loud

*POP*.

They both turned, expecting to see Raditz but seeing nothing. A second loud…

*POP*

…echoed out and Future Daikon turned to receive a boot to the face. He went flying and Raditz attempted to side kick Future Trunks, but the kick was easily received and Raditz was thrown to the floor. As Raditz slammed to the ground, Future Daikon fired a blast. Raditz had no time to block and was engulfed and sent crashing across the endless, blank void. The two future teens then lunged at him, each with their fists coated in Ki. It was time to put this spar to an end. They both threw their strikes and Raditz seemed defenseless.

But then, to their shock, their older counterpart shot up and held up his forearms. The two strikes collided hard, but Raditz held firm. He smirked at the two of them and then sent them both flying back with some effort. The two teens looked at Raditz with curiosity, seeing some form of bristling energy surrounding his forearms. With a sigh, Raditz let the energy disperse. "Okay then, I think it's time for a small break..."

Raditz wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I think I saw a pork roast in the fridge, so how about we fry that-"

Suddenly, as it had before, a huge surge of golden-tinted wind shot out from the infinite void. This time, however, the wind was less like a strong gust and more like a hurricane. The sheer force of the blow sent Raditz, Future Trunks, and Future Daikon off of their feet. The three of them crashed into the temple and were forced to brace themselves against it. The surge of power was so strong that the temple itself began to creak. Soon enough, the wind was joined by what seemed to be thousands of blasts screaming through the sky, soaring through the air like shooting stars against a white backdrop. This seismic event continued on for several minutes before mercifully coming to an end. The three warriors fell onto their feet, their improvements now feeling somewhat shallow in comparison to what they had all just felt. Future Daikon's jaw had dropped. "He's... He's become even stronger! How... in just 1 month?!"

Raditz nodded. "He's easily stronger than my father, Piccolo, or even Kakarot at this point..."

Future Daikon swallowed a lump in his throat. "Wh-What the heck is he even doing out there to get this strong?! He's all by himself..."

Raditz gritted his teeth. "And, I've been keeping track of our food rations to make sure we don't overdo it, no one has touched the food besides us. So, unless there's something out in that infinite blank to hunt or dig up... Vegeta hasn't eaten in 4 months..."

As Future Daikon and Raditz continued to converse, Future Trunks simply stared out into the distance. He stared toward the infinite, white expanse and knew that his father was somewhere out there. Future Trunks gripped his fists, feeling unnerved. "Father..."

Later, during rest hours…

In the dead of night, or whatever counted as night in the bright void of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Future Trunks sneaked around under the nose of his two companions. He was in the kitchen area, packing a sack full of rations: meat, eggs, rice, water, and various vegetables. In the time since Vegeta's last surge of power had washed over the void, Future Trunks had made up his mind. He knew that he had to finally head out and find his father. He had gained the power... now it was time to face the man.

Future Trunks threw the sack over his shoulder. He could just train here for the next 8 months, but that wouldn't do him any good. Future Daikon and Raditz would both be good for continuing to grow at the same rate, but he needed to find something beyond that. If he was going to truly become stronger, in the way that Goku and his father both had described, then he needed to train alongside his father.

Future Trunks stepped out of the temple, taking one last deep breath. Perhaps it was rude or impolite to leave without saying a word, even if he did leave a note to explain himself, but he knew that having to face Raditz or his partner would weigh heavily on his mind. Future Trunks took a step out into the void, walking towards the infinite blank expanse. But, as he walked, another voice suddenly called out. "Yo."

Future Trunks turned, another sack suddenly flying out towards him. He caught it and then stared in confusion at the thrower: Raditz. Future Trunks opened the sack and looked in, seeing just as many rations as he had packed himself. Raditz then immediately turned and began to walk back into the temple. "Daikon and I will be fine. You should be careful out there and bring him back..."

Future Trunks bowed his head. "Th-Thank you very much."

And then, Future Trunks turned and ran off into the infinite, blank void to search for his Dad.

Out into the void…

Future Trunks had no idea just how long he had been walking. The only thing that he did know was that when he looked back, he could no longer view the temple. Here he was, in the middle of blank nothingness. And the effects of that were getting to him. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber had no day/night cycle. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber had no calendar. And, as a result, Future Trunks had no concept of whether he had been walking for minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. He felt no hunger, but his stomach felt like an empty hole. He wasn't thirsty, but his throat was dry. He wasn't tired, but his eyelids drooped. He wasn't flying, and yet there was no solid ground between his feet. If Future Trunks' mind wandered from anything but his goal...

Being surrounded on all sides by nothing was starting to get to him, even though he tried to steel himself against it. Future Trunks walked forward with a single thought in mind. He had to find Vegeta. He knew that if he just kept walking straight, that he would eventually feel those same aftershocks again. The aftershocks of Vegeta's power flaring out here in this endless nothing.

But, the more he walked, the more he let time pass, the more the lack of those aftershocks began to rattle the boy. His nerves were starting to get the better of him. And, against his will, Future Trunks' mind and heart forced him to cry out. "Father!"

"Father! Father! Father! Father! FATHER! fAtHeR! Father! FathER! Fa...!FATHER! ...ther!"

Future Trunks shuddered. But he kept walking. As Future Trunks continued to march forward, the seeds of doubt suddenly began to sprout. "Wait... no..."

The poisonous thought began to take root in his head, only forced to grow by the continued lack of the aftershocks that Future Trunks had been relying on coming. He could feel the thought building in his mind, but he tried to suppress it. He couldn't let himself think that, because if he did...

"What if Vegeta died?"

Future Trunks gasped and started looking around. He knew that he hadn't said that thought. He knew that he hadn't thought that thought. But, still, he had heard his own voice say that to him. And with that thought let loose, Future Trunks' composure began to crumble. "Dead?! No..."

He closed his eyes and gripped his fists, shaking his head. "H-He can't be. He wouldn't let a place like this...like this..."

Future Trunks' eyes burst open and he looked around. It really began to set in just how much nothing was surrounding him. He could feel the pressure of it all collapsing in on him. He felt like he was being smothered. Solid ground under his feet, but no ground to be seen. Air to breathe, and yet his lungs felt like they were full of dirt.

Future Trunks felt stifled. He felt choked. "N-No! No..."

He fell to his knees, staring into nothing. "No... he can't be dead. Not my father... he can't..."

"What does that mean for me?! Where am I?!"

Future Trunks looked around again, wondering where the hell that voice had come from. Now that thought was in his head. He was out here alone, all alone, nothing in sight. His entire body was numb. Future Trunks shook his head. "No..."

And then he stood. He turned and ran in the opposite direction. His spirit had given way and now the fear was there. Mortal fear. Maybe something beyond mortal fear. Future Trunks moved at max speed, but he still saw nothing. Nothing was coming into view. The temple! Raditz! His partner! Anything! There was nothing! He was surrounded on all sides by nothing, held in by nothing! Future Trunks was moving forward, but he felt stuck in place!

Had he turned the wrong way at some point?! What was going on?! Had he gotten turned around?! What was happening?! Where was he?! How long has it been?! Was he even alive?!

Future Trunks was hyperventilating. He was losing his composure out here, in this nothingness. He cried out. "Help me! Someone! Anyone! Ranch! Mom! Father! Raditz! Go-Gohan! HELP ME!"

And now, there was no echo. Future Trunks' voice fell flat and so did he. On his knees, in the middle of this void, Future Trunks was lost. "No... dammit! What have I done?! I've... I've..."

Future Trunks pressed his face in his hands, sobbing and shaking. "What have I done to myself...?"

But then, a footstep echoed next to Future Trunks. He gasped and looked around, seeing nothing. "F-Father?! Father...?"

"Poor, poor monkey~"

Future Trunks gasped and looked around, still seeing nothing. And then, another voice chuckled and spoke. "No, Son. Monkeys have tails. This tailless failure is an ape~"

The boy continued to look around, confused and bewildered. "What is going-"

Suddenly, a harsh force slammed into Future Trunks' gut. The boy went flying back, his eyes wide, and blood gushed from his mouth. Both the sacks of food went tumbling and Future Trunks fell flat on his back. He struggled to push himself up, and a pure white tail cracked against the ground like a whip. He stared at his attacker in shock. Future Trunks had never met these two before, but he recognized one just from appearance. His mother, in the future, had described this vile being to him before: the snowy-white skin, the royal purple accents, the red eyes and the tail. Future Trunks gasped. "F-Frieza?!"

Standing behind Frieza was a being that Future Trunks didn't recognize. He was tall, just as regal looking with his two ebony horns, and he radiated the same, hateful energy that Frieza radiated.

Frieza laughed. "Ohohohohohoho~! Shall we show this one a living hell, Father?"

King Cold smirked. "Indeed."

The two of them charged. Future Trunks, in spite of his wavering spirit, stood and readied himself to defend. The boy squared his stance and went Super Saiyan. If what he had heard about Frieza was true, then as a Super Saiyan, this battle would be nothing. Frieza hovered above Future Trunks with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Do you really think a year of training in this void will make you any less of a sniveling maggot?!"

The long-dead tyrant slammed his fist into Future Trunks' face and sent him spiraling through the air. He landed with a harsh thud and coughed up more blood. Frieza stomped his foot on Future Trunks' chest and chuckled. "How humiliating~ Goku's spawn put up more of a fight than as a snot-nosed brat than this pathetic failure~"

King Cold laughed. "Oh, but this one is all too familiar with the concept of that Gohan boy putting up more of a fight than him~"

Future Trunks' eyes snapped open and he bucked Frieza off. "H-How do you know about that?! How could you know about that?!"

His power flared and he charged at Frieza and Cold. He drew back his arm and threw a punch, only for Frieza to catch it with a yawn. "What a sad specimen, you are~! You shouldn't worry about dying though, Ranch will easily find someone better than you soon enough~!"

Frieza used his free hand to grab Future Trunks by the back of the head, slamming his face down onto the ground and grinding his nose against the solid void. "But you were aware of that, correct? You poor, stub-tailed mutt~"

The tyrant sneered and stomped his foot down onto Future Trunks' back. Then using his tail like a whip, he beat Future Trunks into submission. Once Future Trunks' screaming became shallow, Frieza grew bored and kicked the boy in the side. Future Trunks went flying, but he wasn't out yet. He reached up to grab his sword, only to find it not there. He groaned. "Dammit... I left it behind..."

He growled to himself, landing on his feet, and then flared his Super Saiyan power outward even more. He rushed towards Frieza again, charging a two-handed blast and throwing it. Frieza smiled and easily deflected the attack, but Future Trunks still didn't stop. He clashed with Frieza, exchanging blows with the tyrant and not letting up. The emperor chuckled and blocked all of Future Trunks' attacks with ease, allowing the boy to tire himself out. And, soon enough, Future Trunks did just that from all his frantic assaults. He was winded. And the pressure of the void around him was still weighing heavily on him. Cold, from the sidelines, rolled his eyes. "Is this it? This is your limit? And to think... your mother trusted you to save the future~"

Future Trunks shot a hateful glare in Cold's direction. Cold simply stood there with a smile on his face. He beckoned at the boy. "Come~"

The teen roared, charging at Cold and ready to kill. King Cold, however, simply responded with a crack of his tail right across Future Trunks' face. Once more, the boy of the future was sent flying by the snap of a cruel whip and crashed to the ground in a heap. He pushed himself up shakily, holding a bleeding gash on his chest shut. "Th-They're stronger than 17 and 18... How? How is this possible...?"

As Future Trunks struggled, a sudden snowstorm began to rage. The shivering, bitter chill of the snow rested on Future Trunks' skin, making him feel icy stiffness and blistering pain. He coughed as the frigid air swelled within his lungs. Frieza and Cold both chuckled, and then they each shot a Death Beam into Future Trunks' shoulders. As Future Trunks fell back, limp and injured, Frieza's tail shot forward and wrapped around his neck. The boy was hauled into the air like a fish and Frieza's grip only became tighter. All the while, Frieza and Cold continued to taunt. They nailed Future Trunks' insecurities with pinpoint accuracy, bringing up every little detail that brought about self-loathing and self-hatred within him. Finally, Future Trunks fell limp and his Super Saiyan form vanished. Frieza chuckled, seeing bitter tears fall from the boy's eyes. "Well, it would appear as if we are done here~"

The tyrant aimed his finger right at Future Trunks' heart. "Now then, let's-"

Suddenly, a Ki bolt came shooting out of the snowstorm and blasted off Frieza's tail. The emperor screeched in pain and leapt back, barely avoiding two more blasts. Future Trunks hit the ground with a thud, looking up at the shadow looming over him. "Wha-"

"Stand, boy."

Future Trunks gasped. "F-Father..."

Vegeta stepped out from the snowy shadows, his glare focused on Frieza and Cold. "I said stand. Or is everything that they said about you accurate?"

Future Trunks shuddered. Vegeta marched forward. "If what they said about you was accurate, continue to lay on the ground. But, if you're better than that... stand and fight!"

Vegeta stood steady, facing Frieza and Cold. He didn't look at Future Trunks. The boy lay on the ground, his father's words echoing in his head. And, deep within, Future Trunks felt something that he hadn't felt since Future Gohan had passed in his time. He looked up at Vegeta's back and, briefly seeing Future Gohan standing alongside him, Future Trunks felt safe. He gripped his fists. "Father..."

Vegeta snapped at him. "Don't make me wait, boy! How long do you plan to hold yourself back?!"

Future Trunks nodded, and then he stood up tall. He wiped the blood from his busted lip and stood next to Vegeta. The father and son activated their Super Saiyan power in unison. The snowstorm that surrounded them immediately was blown away by a blistering, golden inferno. Frieza and Cold both recoiled in fear, and then Vegeta charged forward and slammed his fist into Frieza's face. The nasty imp was thrown backwards and then Vegeta kicked Cold in the stomach. The king collapsed to his knees and Vegeta finished his attack by blasting both of them. Both of the wicked demons immediately got back up, looking furious. The two of them lunged at Vegeta and the prince was prepared to face them down, but a golden flash got between Vegeta and Frieza. Future Trunks stood tall, holding Frieza's fist and squeezing it tight.

Vegeta smirked and then blocked the attack from Cold. "Welcome back, Trunks."

Future Trunks nodded. "Thank you for the wake-up call, Father."

Cold sneered and pointed his finger at Vegeta. "Impudent simian!"

Vegeta leapt up out of the way, avoiding the Death Beam Barrage from Cold. With a smirk, the prince deflected several beams into the distance and then fell like a hammer. He slammed his foot into Cold's face and smashed the monster to the ground. In turn, Cold grabbed Vegeta by the ankle and flung him through the air. Vegeta flipped through the air, landing on the ground and then firing a blast in retaliation. The wicked king barely managed to get back on his feet before the blast hit his stomach and sent him crashing back.

Vegeta smirked, confidence radiating off of him. "Wailing ghosts should stay dead!"

Cold snapped. "Impudent little prince, you should remember your-"

Vegeta cut Cold off with a punch to the mouth. "Remember? A mere foul memory is all that you are! One that I have moved passed! So, vanish!"

Meanwhile, Future Trunks clashed with Frieza. With his inner demons quelled, at least for the moment, he proved to be much more effective against the tyrant. Frieza was still getting hits in, but Future Trunks was actually managing to do damage in turn. He delivered a devastating chop to Frieza's chest that sent the former emperor reeling. He went for a second, but Frieza ducked it and fired his Eye Beams at the boy's chest. Future Trunks snarled and feinted back, dodging the attack. In that instant, though, Frieza managed to circle around Future Trunks and administer a harsh kick to the boy's ribs. Future Trunks however, caught the attack and flung Frieza to the side. He then thrust his hand into Frieza's face and fired off a massive blast. "God Breaker!"

Frieza crossed his arms over his face and took the blast in stride, getting shoved back and singed, but being otherwise unhurt. Frieza snapped. "Is that the best you can do with the power Vegeta's blood has granted you, you little-"

Future Trunks punched Frieza in the face so hard that it knocked out several of the tyrant's teeth. Frieza howled with rage and lunged forward, focusing his energy into his palm and firing another deadly attack. "Death Wave!"

Future Trunks grimaced, crossing his arms over his face and colliding with the attack. The sheer force of the blast washed over the boy, shredding off the jacket that his mother had given him. But that didn't concern Future Trunks right now. Once Frieza's attack had passed, Future Trunks charged at him and punched him hard enough in the stomach to make him wretch.

Frieza stumbled back, but he wasn't beaten. He rushed towards Future Trunks with killing intent. As he saw Frieza charging at him, Future Trunks realized just how badly the fatigue was getting to him. He was shaking as Frieza drew closer. Even with Vegeta's stirring words, Future Trunks looked inward and still felt shame. If anyone else was in this situation, they would have-

"Why are you just standing there?!"

Future Trunks looked up and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Frieza, Cold, the flames that surrounded them. All was near-totally still. Except for one other person, Vegeta. Future Trunks flinched. "Father..."

Vegeta glared at his son. "Listen here, boy. You descend from the strongest Saiyan bloodline of them all! You are my son! And no son of mine will allow themselves to be a defeatist! You can have your doubts, you can have your demons, but the moment you allow those to define you... then you have gone too far!"

Future Trunks lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Father. You... You're a naturally good warrior. You've been doing this your whole life. You... You've never made the mistakes that I've made. You-"

A fist gripped around Future Trunks' undershirt. Vegeta had sped over to him and grabbed ahold of him. "You presumptive, little brat! When did I ever suggest I am perfect?! What does it matter either way?!"

Future Trunks flinched as Vegeta glared at him. Vegeta looked genuinely angry. But he took a deep breath and allowed himself to cool off. "What mistakes I have or haven't made in my life have no bearing on you, so who cares? Do you genuinely think it matters whether what you do pleases me or not? Or what I think of what you've done? Foolish boy!"

Vegeta snatched his hand away from Future Trunks with disgust. "Listen well, Trunks. A true warrior owns their mistakes and grows from them. Anything less than that is..."

The prince glanced away, remembering how he was before Frieza's death. "Anything less than that is not worthy of even the slightest regard. I don't care if you like me and you shouldn't care whether I like you. It's not about being liked! The real meaning of being a warrior is having respect in yourself. So much so, that others will acknowledge it! And in this shameful state, do you feel worthy of respect?!"

Future Trunks was unsure of how to respond. Vegeta pointed his finger at the slowly lunging Frieza behind his son. "You need to remember that you are a warrior! You need to consider your pride! Don't let past mistakes define you, Trunks! Use them to build yourself up!"

As Vegeta slowly started floating back into his place, facing Cold, Future Trunks let his words sink in. He looked up. "Father..."

Vegeta shouted at him. "Don't 'Father' me! Stop focusing on me! Focus on yourself! Focus on your own improvement! Grow! Ascend, damn you! ASCEND SO THAT NO ONE IS ABLE TO MATCH YOUR POWER! ASCEND SO THAT YOU CAN TRULY CALL YOURSELF THE NEXT PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!"

Future Trunks stared up at Vegeta, watching as time started to resume its normal flow. And then, Future Trunks turned and faced Frieza once again. All of the stories that he had ever been told about his father, Vegeta's pride... he finally understood them. He finally grasped what his mother and teacher had both told him so many times during his childhood. With this newfound clarity, Future Trunks stood. As he did, his aura burst forth with a new intensity. Future Trunks slammed his fist under Frieza's chin and uppercut the tyrant across the burning void. Frieza stood, only to see that Future Trunks' trembling had stopped.

Even more, a new sort of glow was radiating from his body. On the other side of the battlefield, Vegeta was radiating the same glow. Frieza and Cold both recoiled in shock, and then Vegeta and Future Trunks both opened their eyes. They each roared at the top of their lungs and a new sort of Super Saiyan power burst forth. They were noticeably taller as their hair was spikier and more rigid. Their muscles were bulging and grew more defined as they were vibrating with pure energy.

Frieza was stunned. "Wh-What?!"

But that train of thought was instantly lost as a sudden fist to the stomach made the tyrant's eyes roll back. Future Trunks went for a second hit, a spinning kick, and Frieza was launched across the battlefield. He eventually smashed into an equally beaten and bruised King Cold. The two of them shakily stood, but were met by the horrifying sight of Vegeta and Future Trunks, standing back-to-back, each of them in a certain stance.

Terrified, Frieza raised his hands up. "No! Please! You can't!"

Cold was shaking. "K-Killing us won't change your past!"

Future Trunks glared at them and spoke with unwavering confidence. "I know. But that is fine. Because the past made me who I am now. And I will use all that to keep going forward... to a brighter future!"

Vegeta smirked. "Well said."

And then, they both thrust their hands towards Cold and Frieza and shouted. "GALICK GUN! FIRE!"

Frieza and Cold both screamed as they were engulfed, the Double Galick Gun destroying them instantly. Once Frieza and Cold were gone, the inferno disappeared with them. Vegeta and Future Trunks were both left standing there, and their new, ascended forms both faded away. Vegeta fell flat on his back, visibly worn. Future Trunks fell to his knee. All was silent for a moment, and then Future Trunks spoke. "F-Father..."

Vegeta groaned. "We both just gave it our all to vanquish the phantoms this accursed place summoned up. Don't say something to ruin the moment, Trunks..."

Future Trunks sighed. "It's been 4 months, how have you... not eaten in 4 months..."

Vegeta smirked. "Don't underestimate a true warrior. By rationing my supplies and pacing myself properly, it was easy to-"

As the full nature of Future Trunks' question dawned on him, Vegeta sat up with a bolt. "It's been 4 months?!"

He groaned, pressing his fist to his forehead. "Damned confusing chamber..."

And then, Vegeta's stomach growled very loudly and he fell back. Future Trunks chuckled and held his quaking stomach as well. Vegeta growled. "I had just burned through the last of my rations and was heading back for more."

Future Trunks held out his hand to Vegeta and he looked at it. In it was an apple. "I brought plenty of supplies for us to continue out here."

Vegeta took the fruit and practically inhaled it. "That won't be necessary. We both obtained the main goal of our training here. That said, we should head back to join up with Raditz and Daikon..."

Back at the temple entrance…

Raditz and Future Daikon both stepped out into the void. Raditz sighed. "Okay, Daikon. Today, we should focus more on trying to improve our control of the Oozaru form. Just in case we need to-"

Suddenly, Future Daikon's eyes went wide and he shoved past Raditz. "TRUNKS!"

Raditz turned to see a relieving sight. Future Daikon was rushing towards a beaten and battered Future Trunks, holding an equally beaten and battered Vegeta on his shoulders. Raditz rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist a smile. "Jeez... always making people worry. He and Vegeta are exactly the same..."

Across the void, Future Trunks chuckled as his best friend hugged him tight. "What's wrong, Daikon? You act like it's been years since we've seen each other..."

Future Daikon flinched back. "It's been over a month, dude! I thought you were dead!"

Future Trunks and Vegeta both flinched. Future Trunks looked shocked. "I've been gone... for over a month...?"

6 months into the Time Chamber Training…

As Future Trunks and Future Daikon trained off by themselves, trying to better ascend to the next level of Super Saiyan, Vegeta and Raditz stood off to the side and did their own training. The two older Saiyans came to a stop and both stared out into the void at their progeny. Raditz watched with fatherly pride. Vegeta watched with genuine excitement. And then, seeing an opening, Raditz tried to sneak attack his sparring partner. Vegeta feinted back and caught the punch with a chuckle. "There we go! Genuinely, Raditz, nice shot!"

The prince tried to low sweep Raditz, but Raditz hopped over the attack. As the two of them sparred and talked, Vegeta quickly resumed being his old self. "So, in the 5 months I was gone, you still haven't discovered even the faintest glimmer of gold? Is that right, Raditz?"

Raditz shrugged, catching a punch from Vegeta and elbowing the prince in the face. "Screw it. I don't need Super Saiyan. I'm going to discover a new source of power that makes your little hair-bleaching routine look like a joke!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Sure, you will, Raditz~ Sure, you will~ Perhaps I did take too long away. You've started off on your little flights of fancy again, Raditz the Runt!"

The prince went for a knee to the gut, but Raditz blocked it with his forearm, once again coated in a strange, bristling energy. "Whatever you say, Prince of All Pricks."

Vegeta leapt back and chuckled. "Not prince for much longer, actually..."

Raditz cocked his head. "Oh?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Indeed. I'm proud of the progress my son has made. I think it's time to pass down the title... and maybe promote myself to become the rightful King of All Saiyans!"

Raditz rolled his eyes. "You mean the king of not even a dozen still-living Saiyans? I see that ego has managed to ascend too..."

Vegeta shrugged. "I wouldn't expect a commoner to understand. The Saiyan Royal Family of the Alternative Future will be a powerfully lead one with Trunks at the helm. And, with how impressive he is, I'm sure my infant son in this timeline will be just as strong, if not stronger with my early guidance~ It would be a disservice to both of them not to name myself King and establish the pedigree that they deserve onto them~!"

Vegeta and Raditz clashed again, Raditz sweating and being pushed back. Vegeta remained cool-headed. "Now, I just need to encourage the boy to find a proper mate to produce his own offspring with! One worthy to produce a royal heir!"

Raditz flinched, but then he smirked. "Thanks for bringing that up, Vegeta. I actually forgot that there was something I was supposed to let you in on~"

Vegeta frowned, stopping his brawl and crossing his arms over his chest. "And that would be?"

Out in the void, with Future Trunks and Future Daikon…

Future Trunks and Future Daikon both sat in deep meditation. Ever since Future Trunks ascended beyond Super Saiyan, he was determined to help his best friend and surrogate brother obtain the same. Likewise, Future Daikon was eager to pass on what he learned from Raditz. It was an even trade back and forth. They both breathed steadily. There was no past anguish or future anxiety. Only the present moment. They blocked out all negative thoughts and focused only on their energy. Suddenly, Vegeta's voice echoed out across the entire blank void.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The two boys were utterly startled out of their zen-like state and fell over, shooting a look of confusion and wonder at just what Vegeta might be screaming about. But, deciding that it wouldn't be worth it to get into, the two of them simply shrugged and got back to their training.