Chapter 2
They continued to watch more of the timeline that was labeled timeline five.
In particular events that happened before, after or in between their counterpart´s two fights with Broly. A bit to their surprise, it were many more fights during that period than in their own timeline.
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Timeline Five had it´s own version of the fight against Freeza on Namek and the Cell Games and the awakening of Majin Buu.
But there were also other threats to Earth or the entire universe.
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Some time after Namek, Freeza´s older brother Cooler showed up on Earth with his elite warriors to kill Goku and destroy the last Saiyans, but was defeated by Goku as a Super Saiyan.
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"Well - I guess this is a serious difference," Gohan said. "In our world we did not meet Cooler until years later. He had also never been part of Freeza´s Empire. Here it seems he and Freeza were sharing their rule."
"That is because in our timeline Cold had banished his elder son long ago because he did not meet his expectations," Vegeta reminded him. "So he built up his own turf far away from his relatives. And became less of an asshole than them," he commented.
"But in this timeline here it was obviously different."
"So Universe 7 used to be ruled by an Evil Empire that belonged to this Freeza and his family," Toppo stated. "And you have defeated them?"
"Yes - exactly," Goku replied.
"So you had more than one being like Frost in your universe," Cabba stated.
"Three if you count their father King Cold," Vegeta stated.
"Honestly - I am not really sure if Frost has any living family members. He just used the excuse of `keeping the peace´ to take over planets and build up his own version of an Empire."
"So there might be others like Frost out there who have just not shown themselves?" Caulifla theorist.
"Maybe," Cabba said.
The other audience-members from Universe 6, 2 and 11 were only watching the events silently. While they all noted the terrible state Universe 7 used to be in, they didn´t feel the need to especially comment on it.
"You let a planet destroying Empire led by someone like this Freeza rule a good part of your universe?" Belmod asked him. "How could you think that was a good idea?"
"Freeza seemed useful at one time," Beerus stated. "In hinsight of course he was going too far."
"`In hinsight´ you are always smarter, right brother?" Champa remarked sarcastically.
"I don´t remember you doing anything about Frost either," Beerus responded.
"I guess that is why Universe 7 and 6 had some of the lowest mortal-levels back then," Belmod commented.
Beerus sighed. "Lets not longer talk about it."
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Timeline Five
Cooler was seemingly killed. But it turned out his remains, that had been blasted into space by Goku´s attack, including his brain, had been found by a dangerous planet-sized artificial intelligence called the Great Ghetty Star, that resurrected Cooler and merged with him, with Cooler´s brain becoming the sentient intelligence guiding the construct.
Cooler and the Ghetty Star then went on to attack New Namek with an army of mass produced robots and robotic copies of Cooler himself. What explained the Robot-Coolers they had seen a version of Gohan fight on the screen before in another timeline.
The robots goal was to kill all life on the planet and absorb their energy to fuel the Ghetty Star. Like they were planning to do it to other planets as well, as Cooler and his robot minions stated themselves.
In the end they had captured Goku and Vegeta to attempt to absorb their energy as well. But the two Super Saiyans turned the tables on their enemy and overloaded it with their own energy. Unable to stop the process, the Ghetty Star was destroyed and Cooler killed for good.
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"Yes - that was a good one," Caulifla called out as she saw the giant artificial construct exploding.
She smiled. "Of course I could have easily blown the entire thing away instantly."
"We all could," Goku told her, "Our other selves there are not nearly as strong as we are now."
"And you Universe 6 saiyans are much stronger than we used to be," Vegeta admitted. "But that only proofs how much we improved." He smirked as well.
"If you say so," Caulifla replied sardonically.
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Timeline Five
What followed next was the arrival of the Androids. As far as they could tell it happened very similar to their own timeline.
The screen showed them a fight between Vegeta and Eighteen that looked very similar to the one in their own world. With Seventeen and Sixteen at one side and Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Future Trunks on the other, watching.
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"Can we jump over that?" Vegeta asked. "We already know this fight and nobody is helped by seeing it again."
Eighteen send him a straight look. They both knew he just didn´t want everyone watching how she broke both of his arms. The scene with his other counterpart panicking in the fight against Broly had already been humiliating enough.
"Alright," the Grandpriest stated. "We will jump over this part."
They continued to watch.
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Timeline Five
The screen switched to the scene of Krillin confronting Seventeen, Eighteen and Sixteen.
Much to their surprise however it turned out that this version of Seventeen and Eighteen did not want to hunt down and kill Goku. They also did not want to destroy cities and kill humans like their future-counterparts did. Instead it seemed they wanted... absolutely nothing.
"Well - we just wanted to get rid of Gero, since he acted liked he owned us. And then get away from here and do our own thing... whatever that is," Seventeen said. He didn´t sound so sure himself what exactly this thing was. "But your friend just had to come after us and ask for a fight."
"And he didn´t seem to take no as an answer," Eighteen added.
"So goodbye," Seventeen said. "By the way, if Son Goku is interested in a fight, he should just show himself, we will be there."
"I have to kill Son Goku," Sixteen stated.
"And we will not keep you from it," Seventeen replied. "But you will have to do it by yourself."
With that they left.
Eighteen placed one kiss on Krillin´s cheek, like she did in their world, before she joined the others and they flew away.
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"Maybe we should have done that as well," Eighteen said in the present.
"Probably," Seventeen replied.
"Is that how you fell in love?" Brianne asked confused.
"That is really much different than in our world," Sanka said. "I mean you just fought his friends and then kissed him. We use love in a fight as well, but..."
"Look," Eighteen responded, "this is not how we fell in love. That came later. I just kissed him because... I - I found him interesting."
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Timeline Five
What followed was a fight against the Androids 13, 14 and 15, who Doctor Gero´s computer had activated. Without Cell, they had not found out about that computer until later.
Then some time later followed first fight against Broly.
And then Cell came. In this timeline the time-machine in that Cell arrived had never been found. And Kami had already merged with Piccolo without having an successor as Earth´s Guardian.
So his appearance took them all completely by surprise. Entire towns had been wiped out without anyone knowing who or what was responsible.
And worse, since Doctor Gero´s computer had never been destroyed, Cell used it´s help to locate Seventeen and Eighteen. He found them, taking them completely by surprise and absorbed them without anyone being able to stop him.
The rest played out very similar as they knew it, Cell´s announcement, the Cell Games, Goku´s death and Gohan defeating Cell... and Mister Satan taking the credit.
Then Broly´s second coming seven years later.
The events of the awakening of Buu a short time later played out very similar as Goku and the others knew it from their own world.
Too similar in fact. They all watched with gritted teeth as they saw Vegeta falling under the Wizard Babidi´s influence and firing at the stadium of the Budokai on Earth to force Goku into a duel.
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Even a few of their fellow audience from the other universes was deeply disturbed by this. Especially when they heard that the Vegeta sitting next to them had done exactly the same thing.
Even more than the one on the screen showed that he could resist Babidi whenever he wanted and admitted that he willingly let himself fall under Babidi´s spell.
"You don´t need to tell me," Vegeta said quietly, "I was a fool."
"I don´t understand," Brianne said, "why did you do that? You had everything - love, your family, a son. Why did you kill all these people and risk to throw that all away? Just to fight Goku, he had already agreed to do that anyway."
"Right, Son Goku so much, he had already agreed to fight you afterwards. So why did you do this?" her partner Su added.
"Indeed, you could have easily stopped that threat and then had your fight with Son Goku after that," Toppo stated as well.
Vegeta wasn´t even sure how to reply to that. It was true, logically his actions had made no goddamn sense.
"It is something that you people would not understand," he answered. "On planet Vegeta the saiyans were raised to only care about power and follow the ones who possessed the most of it. Everyone who was weak was only meant to be either killed or taken advantage of.
The Freeza Force that controlled us was the same way.
Family, friends, love, all that was seen as things that either didn´t matter or that made you weak."
The members of Universe 2 were looking at Vegeta in sheer disbelief at what he just said.
"How - how can anyone belief that?" Heles stammered.
"That were evil and twisted people and Universe 7 is better of since they were taken down," Kaioshin Pell said.
"Indeed," Vegeta admitted, "even if many of my people could have probably changed if they were ever given the chance.
"You were forced to question your basic beliefs and found them to be wrong," Jiren stated. "You were leading a life that was the exact opposite of what you were used to. But a part of you could not accept it and just wanted to break out. Until you finally leashed out."
They all were looking at him. What he had said was quite unusual for the usually stoic Jiren.
"You remember how I fired at the spectator seats of Universe 7 during the Tournament of Power?" he asked Toppo.
"Yes," Toppo replied.
"I had been forced to question my own beliefs back then as well," Jiren reminded him. "And I could not take it. So I acted against everything a Pride Trooper stands for and targeted bystanders. It seems the line between a hero and a villain is sometimes thin."
"We were all faced with our complete destruction back then," Belmod - Universe 11´s God of Destruction - of all people, reminded them.
They continued to watch.
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A short time later they watched how Vegeta sacrificed himself in an attempt to stop Buu, who had been released through his own fault, after knocking out Son Goku from behind, to keep him from interferring.
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"That is the same technique you used to defeat me back then," Toppo noted. "It had killed you the first time."
"Yes," Vegeta replied.
"The line between a villain and a hero is sometimes thin, indeed," Toppo contemplated.
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Timeline Five
They watched the events continuing. In opposite to the Buu battle they remembered however, there was one fundamental difference.
Here Gohan did not fail and was absorbed, along with Goten, Trunks and Piccolo. He defeated and killed Buu.
That meant the Earth was not destroyed by Buu. But it also meant that Goku and Vegeta were not brought back to defeat him.
The Namek Dragon Balls were used to bring back Buu´s victims, but since he was technically not killed by Buu but by his own attack, Vegeta was not included.
They both staid dead.
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But it didn´t end here. Next they were watching an event that happened about one year later.
Part of it happened in the Afterlife. It happened that one particular lazy ogre refused to clean up the storage tanks for the dark energy cleansed from the souls that were send to Hell.
And as a result the tanks blew up with him standing right next to them. With the dark energy from countless thousands of evil souls washing over him and transforming him into a demonic being.
The presence of this being was then interrupting the functions of the Afterlife, trapping King Yemma in his own palace and damaging the borders to the world of the living.
As a result the Living Word and the Afterlife were blending and souls returning and manifesting themselves back on Earth (and likely on other planets). Partly as ghosts, partly inside their old, often already decayed bodies, as zombies.
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The gods from all universes were gobsmacked at what they were just seeing.
Even the Highpriest had a frown on his face.
"What?" Beerus called out. "The sheer incompetence. What in the world were this fools in the Afterlife doing?"
"Well - it seems Universe 7 is a mess in the Afterlife too," Champa commented loudly.
"Oh - shut up," Beerus replied. "Whiz - when we are back home, contact King Yemma. Find out if this guy is still working for him in our timeline. If yes, tell him to fire him."
"I guess that is a good idea," Universe 7´s Kaioshin Shin stated.
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Meanwhile in the Afterlife Goku, Paikkohan and a bit later Vegeta, who had been released from Hell were send to fight the Demon, who called itself Janemba.
But he turned out too powerful for all of them.
It was only when Goku convinced Vegeta to use the fusion-dance and they (after a couple failed attempts) merged into Gogeta, that they were able to defeat him and things returned to normal, both on Earth and in the Afterlife.
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"I think we should stop here," the High Priest said.
"But what happened after that?" Goku asked.
"Now Goku - we still have a few other timelines to look over," the High Priest reminded him. "We can not go over every detail of all of them. But if you want to know, you staid dead, but Vegeta was brought back with the Dragon Balls a short time later. Your families lived their lives and joined you in the Afterlife in the end. Is that enough for you?"
"I guess," Goku replied.
"Lord Zeno - your verdict?" the Highpriest asked.
"No time-travel," Zeno said. "No contact to other timelines."
"No," Future Zeno said as well. "The timeline is quite stable. Little contact to the gods."
"Yes," Zeno agreed. "I say let this timeline as it is."
"Alright," the Highpriest said. "So it is decided, Timeline 5 will not take part in the Tournament. Does anyone of you have have any other thoughts on this?" he asked everyone watching.
"Well - it would have been interesting," Goku said.
"Father remember, they are not doing this just because it is interesting," Gohan pointed out.
"Besides - I am sure the other timelines will be interesting too," Seventeen remarked.
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Timeline Six
The next timeline they were watching was quite similar to timeline 5. But even more to their own world. Nearly everything happened like in their own.
Only the fight with Cooler happened as well in the three years before the Androids. Here however he was killed by Goku for good and never merged with the Ghetty Star.
Broly and Paragus however never happened. There was no Super Saiyan rampaging in the South Galaxy, Paragus did not come to Earth - or found the Highpriest any signs that he was ever leading his own army. It was as if they simply didn´t exist.
Maybe King Vegeta´s assassination attempt had actually killed him or he had send Broly to Planet Vampa in this timeline as well, instead of downright murdering him.
The fights against the Androids and Cell, Bojack and Buu all happened. The High Priest and the Zenos however did not bother to go through all the (nearly) identical events again, but just watched a few key points, like Cell and Buu´s defeat.
About one year after Buu however something happened that didn´t happen in timeline 5 (or any other they had seen). The Wizard Hoy appeared on Earth to free the hero Tapion and with that the Demon Hildegarn who was trapped inside his body and them both magically sealed inside a music box.
The residents of timeline 0 had met Hoy and Hildegarn as well. However several years later, when they were easily able to defeat them.
Here however he was a deadly world threatening foe, probably nearly as dangerous as Buu.
Still, Hildegarn was finally defeated by this timeline´s Goku using the Dragon Fist.
It was however one small scene that happened a bit later that caused an uproar.
It showed Bulma... giving Tapion a version of her time-machine (which she had obviously reverse-engineered from the one her future-self had created) to travel back to his home-planet 1000 years earlier.
The gods could barely believe what they were hearing.
They were even more shocked when they heard that Bulma completely casually saying to her son Trunks that he could eventually visit his friend Tapion in the past.
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The Kaioshin and Gods of Destruction were all starring with expression raging between gobsmacked and outraged.
"What in the world is that idiot doing?" Beerus exclaimed.
"Are you calling my wife an idiot?" Vegeta asked him.
"That version of her - yes," he replied. "Using her time-machine as carelessly as this."
"Well - this Bulma here obviously don´t even know about your law against time-travel," Vegeta pointed out. "And that also because none of you ever told the Mortals about it." He looked from Beerus to Shin and back. "So she is not the only one to blame."
"Even without knowing that law, it should be obvious not to use something like a time-machine so easily," Beerus responded.
"Like it is `common sense´ to blow up a planet over pudding?" Vegeta countered.
"What better reason is there to blow up a planet?" Beerus said. "A few need to be blown up regulary anyway. That is the duty of a Destroyer."
"Enough of this you two," the Highpriest interrupted them. "But I can not say I disagree with Lord Beerus. By the way, as it looks has timeline 5 been formed by sending Tapion 1000 years back into the past in the first place."
"What?" Goku said.
"Are you saying Tapion had done something to change history?" Gohan asked.
"It seems so," the Highpriest replied. "He might have done something to stop Hoy and Hildegarn to become a threat in the future and that is why they had not appeared in timeline 5."
"1000 years ago, that was also around the time that the first Super Saiyan appeared," Vegeta stated. "Do you think Tapion´s trip to the past could have also somehow changed the history of Planet Vegeta and caused this version of Broly to become a threat to the universe?"
The Highpriest sighed.
"It is good possible. But this device can not see that far in the past of the other timelines. Of course it could have also been something else than Tapion that caused Broly´s reign of terror."
"Here you see why you should not interfere with the past," Beerus told them.
Broly frowned. His insane counterpart might have not been nearly as strong as this Hildegarn, but the Demon had been stopped at the first planet he was terrorizing. The other Broly had been running amok in the South Galaxy for decades. Whatever was the cause, it had not been a good trade for the universe.
"Enough."
"Enough," they heard both Zenos saying. "Let them take part in the tournament."
"We will tell all participanting timelines not to use time-travel technology in the future anyway," one of them stated.
"It seems we have a first participant," the High Priest announced. "Let us continue."
"Hey - wait a moment," Caulifla suddenly said.
"Yes?" the Highpriest asked.
"It - it is just, we have so far only seen scenes from Universe 7. What about our universes in this other timelines?"
"That´s a good question," Champa said.
"Since it was Universe 7 where the time-travel technology was developed, it is of course where the most difference are taking place," the Highpriest replied.
"In the most timelines, in that you have never met Universe 7, your lives continued like it always had, with some variations of course. In most of them you three had discovered the Super Saiyan transformation on your own."
"You heard this Sis, we did it on our own," Kale commented.
"Yeah," Caulifla responded.
"But if you want to, we can show you a scene from Universe 6 next," the Highpriest declared. "The scene you will now see happened practically identical in Timelines six, and seven."
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Timeline Six/Seven - Universe 6
The scene played at a place Cabba recognized instantly, Frost´s old office in his headquarter.
And in this moment this timeline´s version of Cabba came into the room, with a squad of Sadala Defense Force soldiers in his back.
"Frost," he said.
"Cabba - what can I do for you?" the Freeza look-alike from Universe 6 responded.
"We have defeated the raiders that were attacking the planets in sector 72-d. We have found proof that you are the mastermind behind these attacks."
"Now, how can you think something like this about me? Why would I do something like that?" Frost responded. "We have been protecting the universe together for so many years. That is obviously some kind of set-up."
"Frost," Cabba said, "the truth is we have been suspecting you for nearly a year now. We have been investigating you all this time. I had hoped it was not true. But now. It is clear that you had from the beginning staged attacks to take over planets under the pretense of `protecting´ them."
"I see. So I guess the game is up now." In one moment Frost´s expression turned from friendly to menacing.
In the blink of an eye he raised his hand and fired a Death Beath that hit one of the saiyans who came with Cabba and pierced through his chest.
"Cuke," Cabba called out as he saw his comrade fall.
At the same time a group of Frost´s guards came running in from the other parts of the building.
"I have to say you saiyans had been useful the entire time," Frost stated, "useful fools. Especially you Cabba."
Just then Cabba could not longer hold back his rage. His ki suddenly raised more and more... and with an angry growl from him, his hair turned golden.
"You," he said in a cold voice.
And he lunged forward and punched Frost right into the face, while his comrades were fighting Frost´s guards.
It did not last long. Cabba as Super Saiyan was just too strong and too angry.
Frost used one of his poisonous needles to step Cabba into the arm. But the super saiyan reacted by shooting a blast through his opponents body right before the paralizing effect of the toxin worked.
Both sank down, Frost dead but Cabba merely paralized.
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"You got him," Caulifla said to the Cabba sitting in the audience.
"This is what would have happened if I had not been told about Frost´s deception when we met Universe 7?" Cabba asked.
"Yes," the Highpriest answered.
Despite everything, Cabba could not really imagine himself killing Frost. And he knew Cuke as a fellow warrior. They were not exactly close friends, but seeing him die like this... and how many others had died when the Sadala Defense Force and Frost´s henchmen clashed with each other?
"Things are better how they happened in our world," Cabba remarked. "Here Frost was actually removed without people dieing."
The next scenes came, this ones again from Universe 7. And they saw that for all the similarities that existed in Universe 6, Timeline Six and Seven were actually quite different.
Timeline Seven was a future-timeline. And so were Timeline Eight and Nine that followed.
Of course, they had seen multiple versions of Future Trunks and all of them had their own version of their future where they came from. It was only logical.
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They all sat in their seats with deep scowls on their faces, especially Seventeen and Eighteen themselves, as they watched the future versions of the two Androids standing on top of a building and firing a rain of ki blasts down at a city...
... hitting random people, just like entire crowds, buildings and vehicles alike, killing what were probably tens of thousands within minutes.
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Aside from Seventeen and Eighteen themselves, it were also in first line the Universe 2 group who was deeply unsettled by seeing their friends and `saviors´ acting like this.
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Timeline Seven
They watched one version of Future Trunks try to find his timeline´s version of Android Sixteen, only to find out that he had been destroyed when the two Androids blew up Gero´s lab.
Years later the same Future Trunks joined forces with the Galactic Patrol and fought the Tsufuru creation called Beby.
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Timeline Eight
Another Future Trunks found Sixteen having survived the explosion and he reactivated the Android who became his ally.
The same Future Trunks a few years later met Vegeta´s brother Tarble, who came to Earth.
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And every time the two Zenos made their decision which timelines they wanted in the tournament and which not. Based on what they were not even sure if it were logical standards or just casual whims.
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It was however the next timeline - Timeline Nine - that really caught their attention.
In first line the one of Seventeen and Eighteen.
It was a version of the future timeline where Cell killed Trunks and stole the time-machine to travel back into the past.
And every time the two Zenos made their decision which timelines they wanted in the tournament and which not. Based on what they were not even sure if it were logical standards or just casual whims.
What followed however was that this timeline´s Bulma did not just accept this. She had a space-ship and had found out the coordinates of New Namek. So she travelled there on her own and used their Dragon Balls to wish back Trunks and all the innocent people killed by the Androids.
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Vegeta had a deep smile on his face as he saw what this version of his wife was doing.
It was however something that they knew the mother of the Future Trunks they knew, who had visited their own timeline, could never do.
Because he had told them in his future the Wizard Hoy had destroyed New Namek before he came to Earth.
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Timeline Nine
They were however completely shocked as the next scene appeared and they saw two of the people the Dragon Balls had just brought back - that timeline´s version of the Androids 17 and 18.
Even more so when the two resurrected Androids suddenly seemed to have a 180 degree change in their personalities.
They were actually avoiding other people instead of killing them and made no hostile move against anyone.
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Timeline Nine
"Haven´t we done enough?" the Eighteen on the screen said.
"Hey - that wasn´t us, you have heard what that big red guy said (obviously talking about King Yemma), we were being controlled," Seventeen replied.
"Damn it - Doctor Gero really got us, didn´t he?" he said a few moments later. "I bet he is laughing on us."
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Their Seventeen and Eighteen were watching with deep frowns on their faces.
Something about this scene seemed to deeply unsettle them. Maybe even more than when they had seen their counterparts kill masses of people a few minutes earlier.
"Where these versions of you brainwashed or something like that?" Brianne asked, somewhat confused, somewhat hopeful.
"No - no, I don´t think so, " Eighteen responded. "I think it is something else."
"I believe that too," Seventeen said, "but I am not sure yet."
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A short time and a few timelines they watched later, the Zenos had finally chosen six timelines to take part in the tournament.
This chapter consists mostly of glympses of a few other timelines and the characters from timeline Zero reacting to it as an audience. In first line Timeline Five, which is basically an idea how the different older Z movies could fit together.
Here is also the idea suggested that sending Tapion 1000 years into the past might had something to do with splitting of the Z-movies from the GT timeline.
The Episode of Bardock might also have something to do with this. But it will not be included in this story, so I did not bring it up.
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The timeline called Timeline Nine is based on the story Dragon Ball OT (original timeline) by Raos, used with permission.
The actualy tournament will beginn after this part, starting in the next chapter.
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Timeline One would be the regular Super canon universe, based on the anime. So the Dragon Ball/Z/Super anime, the Bojack Movie, the new Broly Movie + the events of the Moro and Ganolah Arcs (not exactly the same as the manga, but similar events) and the movie Super Hero.
Timeline Two: Trunks new future timeline (after the old one had been erased)
Timeline Three: The timeline where Zamasu stole Goku´s body and killed him, Chichi and Goten, before disappearing.
Timeline Four: A timeline shown in Dragon Ball Aftermath where future versions of Goten and Marron travelled back into the past to warn everyone about future events.
And Timeline Five: A timeline where the Z Movies number five to twelve are taking place (number two as well, but this is not mentioned).
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Timeline Six: Alternate GT (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z series and movies five, nine and thirteen)
Timeline 7: Future Timeline (connected to the GT instead the Super timeline.)
