The Three Legendary Saiyans

Chapter 92: Return to The Present.

The rush of passing through a Time Gate felt like a euphoric dream to Raijin; the transition from moving from one reality to another prickled at his flesh while his senses felt himself passing through a great white void, an eerie place with no time nor physics but just a realm of chaos but the feeling quickly passed upon re-entering his own Timeline.

Looking around himself; Raijin was no longer outside Capsule Corp but over an obscenely large canyon lined with the freshly-ruined remains of a military base with an oddly familiar red logo that Raijin was struggling to place but recalled that one of his friends used to wear it on a jacket.

Descending closer to the epicentre of the canyon where he felt the energies of not only Gohan and Piccolo down there but also Goten, Trunks, and Bulma but also two he didn't know though the energies of Gohan and Piccolo felt oddly different and vastly more powerful as he drew closer until catching a look at the gathering below.

"Oh my god… WHAT DID I MISS?!" Raijin screamed as soon as he got a good look at Gohan and Piccolo, their brand-new forms on full display amidst the ruined military base and the smoking remains of an overly large monster having been strewn apart as if blown apart from the inside.

"Raijin?! Where on earth have you been?!" Gohan stared up at the skies to see his long-time friend dropping out the skies from a strange silver-ringed gateway to his eyes; smiling widely as he waved his arms to signal his position to Raijin, even Pan waved cheerfully at the sight of Raijin returning for as soon as Raijin's feet touched the ground; she ran over to him so Raijin could lift her up and hug the little girl tightly.

"You have in fact missed a great deal; your strength would have been a grand asset, and how did you suffer those burns?" Gohan spoke in a lecturing tone; his appearance being strongly different from normal for he was dressed once again in Piccolo's purple Namekian Style Gi, but what stood out most was his gleaming white hair and glaring crimson eyes.

"Me? What on earth happened to you?! You're orange! And you Gohan… your hair is white?" Raijin stuttered for a moment when getting close enough to see Gohan and Piccolo in their newfound powers, a wide grin splitting across his face at seeing his friends grow stronger.

"Oh this? It just kinda happened by trying to utilise all my powers at once and it woke up some new power" Gohan briefly explained though even he with all his academics didn't fully understand how he'd ascended to something entirely new but he could surmise a theory based on his own and Raijin's own unique forms.

"I suppose that makes sense… what exactly happened here?" Raijin shuffled his feet; still getting his strength back after the struggle he'd been through while casting his gaze around the crumbling remains of the military compound, taking note of the large containment unit still suspended by barely-holding-together pipes until the unit's holding gave away leading to the machine falling a short distance away.

"A lot actually; Piccolo went undercover as a soldier, Pan was kidnapped, new Androids in the form of The Gamma's though one was destroyed… a new Cell was created called Cell Max but we all took care of it before it could be perfected".

"What… Cell Max? you fought Cell again? I take one trip into another Timeline and miss my chance at fighting Cell again!" Raijin snapped around as if on an axis; staring with intent as he'd missed out on going one-on-one with Cell once again.

"Another Timeline? I thought I sensed Future-Trunks and you together, can you please explain?" Piccolo exclaimed inquisitively; commenting to Gohan's and Bulma's surprise that Future-Trunks had been present in their Timeline and not come to see nor speak with them.

"Sure… but first; who are those two?" Raijin nodded in agreement to telling them everything about what had happened in the last few hours, his eye catching the tall yellow-suited being and the short scientist in a purple bodysuit.

"Well the little guy is Dr Hedo; he's Gero's grandson, and the other is Gamma 1; the surviving android I mentioned earlier" Gohan stated bluntly; recalling the horrors and tragedies of the last time Gero's handiwork had been unleashed on their world.

"Is there a reason they're dressed like superheroes?" Raijin scoffed as he shared the feelings Gohan felt about when the original Cell had been running rampant; suppressing a grin as he gazed back at Gohan with a reminder of his own superhero phase.

"Personal style… I think" Gohan stated before looking to Raijin and Pan; catching Raijin's reminding expression that Gohan too had had a superhero persona of his own, Gohan begrudgingly having kept the costume but also the watch he used to morph into said persona and was now locked away in his home.

A sudden bout of laughter exchanged between Raijin and Gohan regarding the Saiyaman phase caught the attention of those else in attendance, Raijin feeling a cold shiver down his back as Bulma started marching towards him with Goten and Trunks nudging each other with their elbows and getting ready for the inevitable telling-off Raijin was about to endure.

"Now, enough of what's happened here, you need to inform us all of what you've been doing when we needed you" Bulma stated so matter-of-factly that a collective shudder went down the spines of those within earshot, even Hedo and Gamma 1 felt a pang of fear when Bulma spoke to Raijin.

Within only a few minutes and those gathered listening with great intent; Raijin recounted a full explanation of everything he'd seen in an Alternate Timeline, everything he'd experienced and fought against in The Cress Timeline though he left out the details of the premonition he'd been shown as a reward for that was exclusively his though the look of Piccolo's orange face told that he'd noticed the withholding of information.

"So you have been galivanting around in a separate Timeline, getting yourself beaten half to death, all while we could have used your help dealing with a crisis that even Goku, Vegeta and even Broly couldn't be bothered to answer any communications for aid!" Bulma exclaimed with visible anger that even Pan shied away from while Gohan, Piccolo, Goten, Trunks, and Krillin all took a step back while Raijin was left on the receiving end of Bulma's fury.

"Well I'm sure they had good reason…" Raijin nodded his head; his eyes widening in shock immediately after speaking upon realising how insensitive he'd just been to his friends, glancing over to see his friends' and wife's shadowed faces glaring down at him with glowering red eyes.

"Yeah… its called their precious training!" Bulma snapped harshly; her rage boiling over in Raijin's face to the point that he openly looked scared for what came next, and likely that Goku and Vegeta would face a shouting-at once they returned.

"I don't suppose the fact that I was also training before Future-Trunks took me away would excuse me absence?" Raijin muttered lowly in the face of his abject fear of Bulma's unrelenting wraith.

"Just for that; no Healing Chamber and no Senzu Beans" Bulma scowled at him; raising her hand and pointing her finger into Raijin's face; right between his eyes, speaking her punishment for him that Raijin gulped down hard now that he'd have to bear with the injuries for some time as he healed naturally.

"Yeah, I deserve that" Raijin felt that he truthfully deserved that punishment; but the pang of regret for missing out of fighting Cell again still stung but not half as much as his burnt shoulders still did but what hurt the most was the fact he'd not been there for his friends and family in dire need.

With a swift turn of her heels; Bulma smirked with her back turned to all those watching, she knew too well that Raijin would just accept a punishment but he'd make it up to them and her later on once they were alone; she dropped her smile as Raijin spoke again.

"And now it's your turn… explain all of this" Raijin spoke slowly; wanting to know exactly what he'd missed with a new incarnation of Cell, new Androids, and the fact that Pan had been involved in a serious threat to Earth's safety.

With Raijin sitting down on top of a smouldering piece of rubble; he listened while Gohan, Piccolo, Bulma as well as Goten and Trunks explained the full events of the last few hours from the return of The Red Ribbon Army, The new Androids named Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, Cell Max going berserk after not being a fully complete bioweapon, the new powers of Orange Piccolo and Beast Gohan, and how they were currently standing in the remains of what had been the same Base where Cell Max had been developed.

"Seems Chronoa made a mistake when sending me back… she meant to send me back to the exact moment I left but I returned in this aftermath" Raijin muttered under his breath; not taking his own battered body into consideration when considering the prospect of facing Cell Max so quickly after fighting the likes of Cress and Demigra.

"Or maybe she intended for you to appear here instead of your original destination… I hate to pry into your privacy Raijin; but I sense there is something you're not telling us" Piccolo spoke though his mouth didn't move; instead his voice came mentally via Piccolo's powers of telepathy.

Raijin glanced out the corners of his eyes at Orange Piccolo; the new form and different pigment to his skin felt jarring to him for he no longer saw Nail in Piccolo's physical form though Piccolo was still a close friend and comrade and he could easily trust Piccolo with the knowledge he'd been bequeathed.

"Alright; I'll tell you but let us go somewhere else first, just you and me" Raijin spoke telepathically with Piccolo; even his mental voice sounding uneasy with the visions he'd been gifted with.

"Very well; come to my house when you've treated those wounds and dressed again" Piccolo spoke back; turning his back on Raijin whilst the group huddled into one of Bulma's Capsule Vehicles and immediately blasted off back to West City and leaving anyone who could fly back on the ground.

Some Hours Later.

Back in Piccolo's Home; Raijin sat in the first of two meditation cushions now fully cleaned up, dressed in a fresh gi and his wounds tended to, his legs crossed and his hands together to clear his mind in silent meditation; the feeling of clearing his mind and putting all thoughts aside allowed his mind to dispel the pain he felt in the wounds and burns he'd suffered only for his tranquillity to be stopped as Piccolo returned in a fresh gi along with his cloak and turban.

"Nice to see you back in your classic look" Raijin spoke with a smirk, stating that Piccolo was back in his iconic outfit rather anything more casual.

Piccolo just shrugged off the comments now that he wasn't in his Orange Form anymore; seating himself in the meditation cushion, his eyes peering into Raijin's guarded mind before finally speaking.

"You saw something that has greatly unsettled you; there are numerous signs excluding your wounds, namely the fact you've been sweating the whole time you've been back here as if you saw something traumatic" Piccolo spoke as he began to question Raijin on whatever had gotten him so shaken; listening the notable traits of a traumatic experience.

"I suppose you could say that… as a reward for ending the life of Demigra and ending Cress' reign over Earth, Chronoa rewarded me with a vision from The Future Scroll; but what it showed me shook me to my core" Raijin talked briefly on the matters of The Alternate Timeline that he'd already spoken of at length but finally mentioned the vision but even talking about it forced a cold shiver down his spine.

"And what exactly did you see in this Future Scroll?" Piccolo inquired about The Future Scroll; the memories of Kami within his mind bore knowledge of such an object that bequeathed visions to whomever laid eyes upon its blank pages but Piccolo had no reason to enquire whether such a scroll even existed until now.

"Instead of me telling you about Cress and the Alternate versions of you and Gohan… would you rather just read my mind and see it all for yourself? Including my vision?" Raijin just spoke up the idea of letting Piccolo see his vision for himself, a notion that even Piccolo felt surprised by when accessing minds was an act that he preferred not to do under any circumstance.

Even Piccolo felt surprised that Raijin was so inclined to just allow Piccolo to enter his mind and see everything he'd experienced while present in The Alternate Timeline, even Piccolo could tell not only by the injuries Raijin had sustained but by his demeanour that he'd undergone a slight change through the experience.

With no need to vocally speak; Raijin just shut his eyes and mentally prepared himself for Piccolo to see into his mind and bear witness to all that he'd seen and experienced in The Cress Timeline as well as his premonition, Piccolo finally allowing an amused grin to spread across his face before reaching out and placing his right hand on Raijin's head to begin seeing the hours spent in another Timeline through Raijin's eyes.

As soon as Piccolo began looking into Raijin's mind he felt disturbed at the very appearance of Cress himself; bearing a disturbing likeness to Raijin himself according to Piccolo's perception but much more violent and calculating but the penchant for disabling and crippling his enemies instead of killing struck Piccolo was far more insulting than just ending fight with defeat, the awakening and use of Ultra Instinct didn't surprise him as he had assumed Raijin might awaken the power himself due to his previous Animal Instinct abilities, moving on to Demigra and the healing powers that made the demon nigh unkillable but the method of disabling the ability was just as he himself would have surmised in claiming victory over such an opponent, Piccolo watched the experiences from Raijin's own eyes until reaching the premonition he'd seen in The Future Scroll and even he felt the cold dread of seeing his friend's lifeless body suspended high above the metallic floors by wires and cords suggesting a giant machine but the shrill laughter echoing from multiple sources was when Piccolo retreated from the mind of Raijin and back into reality with panting breath.

Watching as Piccolo stopped to breath after seeing everything from Raijin's perspective; Raijin sat in wait with patience, allowing Piccolo to help himself to some water and recompose himself before speaking, "Any thoughts?".

"Many of which that include the fact you reached Ultra Instinct; though most concern the alternate versions of myself and Gohan including the man called Cress, but I want to discuss this premonition…"

"Spine chilling isn't it, to see yourself dangling in the air… and dead" Raijin stated once Piccolo had returned from Raijin's own mind; watching as Piccolo needed a second to gasp some breaths after witnessing the same horror he'd had to experience.

"On that I agree; but what concerns me is the location, someplace so metallic and cold suggests an artificial craft" Piccolo spoke between breaths; his eyes staring widely at Raijin for the future laid out before him appeared extremely dark and foreboding.

"You mean a spaceship or something in Space… based on how cold and wide the location was I would assume the same" Raijin thought on the location of where his future and dead self would meet his end; coming to the conclusion that it had to be a machine-based location or in Space aboard a spacecraft.

"Thanks to The Supreme Kai of Time warning us; we now know that Frieza is going to attack Earth with his entire armada so we can now train and prepare for the day of his arrival" Piccolo smirked as he spoke; armed with his new powers and Gohan having fully realised his strengths once again proving that they'll fight in the coming battles.

"And there were those white-cloaked Elite's, the one called Bojack barely reacted to attacks and seems invulnerable" Raijin spoke on Bojack with a tone of disgust; the memory of the mighty foe laughing in Raijin's face.

"He must possess a constitution that allows physical blows to bounced harmlessly off his body or he's trained to such a degree that he's immune to our styles of combat" Piccolo stated; having stayed far away from the battlefield but had sensed every influx of energy though when sensing the energy that belonged to Bojack; not a single flame had been ignited but instead was used to empower his physical form thus giving a hint on how to fight him.

"He'll be tough to overcome; and the others are still an unknown to us" Raijin spoke ominously; thinking on the other Elite Soldiers, one that stood out felt like no life came from the being like it was a machine while another had energy so strange that it's energy appeared to repel his own by nature.

"And if the other seven possess abilities akin to that of Bojack… then we are in for a difficult fight, and we must take into consideration what Vegeta said; there is every possibility that Frieza will return with a newer and stronger form from his Golden Form" Piccolo spoke ominously; bringing up the exact same point that Vegeta had prior to the battle with Broly on The Ice Continent, a point that Raijin agreed with and prayed that it won't be fulfilled.

"On that I agree too; once I heal I'm going to resume training, would you join me? I'm keen to see what your Orange Form can do" Raijin remarked with a small and retrained gesture to the still-black burns inflicted on his shoulders and the various wounds he'd suffered via the hands of Cress and Demigra.

"I would be honoured to do battle with you once more" Piccolo spoke with a sly grin; the pair of them hadn't fought against one another since their own period of training in preparation for The Cell Games though Raijin had withdrew from the bout due to another threat to Earth arriving but had still managed to be present to assist The Z Fighter's distract and weaken Perfect Cell during the final beam struggle, but Piccolo knew too well that Raijin secretly resented that he never fought Perfect Cell directly.

Raijin didn't respond verbally but instead just flashed a friendly and appreciative smile before leaping from the window and flying off back in the direction of West City and his home, leaving Piccolo alone in his home with the copious stuffed toys that Gohan and Videl gave him for babysitting/training Pan.

Once Raijin had left; Piccolo sank back down into his meditation seat with his forehead in his hand for he'd looked deeper into the premonition than Raijin had seen only to learn of something more terrifying, what he'd seen after Raijin's eyes had closed to blind him of the last sight from the vision was the dead version of Raijin would return to life but with gleaming ruby red eyes instead of his own black irises with a successful expression alluding to some darker fate beyond just mere death.

"Whatever that was… it must not come to pass" Piccolo spoke to himself; the image of the red-eyed Raijin sending a shiver of fear down his spine as he too thought that the foretold fate prophesied for his friend and comrade for it must not be fulfilled.

Meanwhile in Bulma's Labs.

"Miss Bulma… do you really think these plans are feasible? It'll be a full year before we can test it?" Ewan spoke with a curious optimism; gazing down at a sheet of plans for an entirely new machine Bulma and Hedo had drawn up immediately.

"The machinery is reminiscing of Gero's Supercomputer, the three main power sources are rather volatile and may be incapable of blending together to provide the required levels to achieve the goal" Hedo remarked with a slight tone of respect.

"Well you two have to figure out how to make it work! And The Dragon Balls will be restored in a year so we have until then to build it" Bulma stated with a matter-of-fact tone; a list of possible power sources listed on one of the sheets of paper though most would be incredibly volatile when used simultaneously.

"Are you positive that'll be enough time when we have so many projects to work on?" Ewan questioned the plans and the time frame of one full year when fragments and burnt remains of Cell Max had been recovered though the regeneration had been completely ceased with the core's destruction which awaited examination.

"We have exactly one year to get it right; and we must achieve this" Bulma stated; turning her back on the blueprints for the time being; her staff of several dozen scientists peering at the blueprints as displayed on screens for all to see.

For the plans and blueprints laid out on the table detailing the combination of three separate power sources to fuel such a machine but were headed by a project headline; the heading reading as Project Dragon Ball Amplification.