Chapter 3

They had just finished the choosing of the timelines for the Tournament. With a few inputs from Goku, Seventeen and Gohan and also Beerus, Heles and Champa, Shin and Gowasu.

The two Zenos had already contacted their counterparts in this six timelines. And unsurprisingly they agreed with them about the situation about having too many timelines and were excited about the idea of such a tournament.

Now what was left was to choose the decision where the Tournament would take place.

"I have an idea," Goku said. "How about the planet of the Grand Kaio in our universe?" he suggested. "He is already holding tournaments every few years and has a large arena to fight."

"That sounds good," Zeno said.

"Yes - it does," Future Zeno agreed.

"I see," the Highpriest considered. "And since the focus of the Tournament will be on Universe 7, with most of the participants coming from there, it might be an ideal place."

"It actually sounds like a good idea," Universe 7´s Kaioshin Shin said. "I have been visiting one of the Tournaments the Grand Kaio was holding before. And he would certainly be honored to have you and the others here as his guests Lord Zeno."

"Does anyone here disagree with this idea?" the Highpriest asked the other gods present.

"Universe 11 would also be an option," Belmod suggested. "We also have large fighting arenas for the Pride Troopers to train and show their skill."

"So has Universe 6," Champa cut in. "We could hold the Tournament as well."

"Well - on the second thought - Yes, Universe 7 might be better, since most of the fighters will come from there," Belmod said, grinning at Champa.

"Hey," Champa called out as he realized that Belmod had just completely undercut him.

"Anyone else?" the Highpriest asked. Nobody said anything.

"No. Then it is decided. The tournament will take place on the planet of Universe 7´s Grand Kaio," he declared.

The two Zenos nodded.

"Then all what is left is for the other timelines to choose their participants," The Highpriest said.

xxxxxxx

Timeline Zero - Universe 7 - Planet of the Grand Kaio

"What!?" the Grand Kaio of Universe 7 cried out as he heard what Shin, Lord Beerus, Whiz and Kibito, who had just arrived, said to him.

"L-Lord Zeno? As in the ruler of all universes? A tournament between different timelines? And he has chosen my planet as the fighting ground?"

"Yes," Shin replied.

A few other people, that included the South Kaio, several long dead fighters who were allowed to keep their bodies in the Afterlife and several servants of different races, were looking equally shocked as the Grand Kaio himself.

"Is there any problem with this?" Beerus asked.

"Problem? Problem?" the eccentric Grand Kaio with the sun-glasses actually shouted, "Of course not. That will be the greatest Tournament of a Time!"

He yelled the last part so loud that several servants and Afterlife Warriors in a distance around them halted in whatever they were doing and looked around to them.

xxxxxxx

The next Day

A short time later the two Zenos moving by floating through the air and closely followed by the High Priest who was walking after them, were entering another room inside their palace

Inside, sitting in a half-circle of throne-like chairs, were six more versions of Zeno.

In opposite to them however, these other Zeno did not have their own versions of the Highpriest with them. Who had staid behind to take care of everything in case something happens in their timelines.

Instead one of their guards were standing at each of them´s side.

"Hey," the two Zenos greeted their counterparts.

"Hey, hey, hey," they were greeted in a choir of their own voice in return.

"My Lord Zenos" the Highpriest greeted them, "I see you have all arrived. You will all stay here as guests of our timeline that we have labelled Timeline Zero. If there is nothing else, we will now move to the planet where the Tournament will take place."

"I have a question," one of the other Zenos said. "You are right, there are too many timelines. But what would we do if our own timeline looses and is not longer there?" he asked

"You can go to another timeline and the Zeno there and become friends with them," Future Zeno said.

"Like we did," Zeno confirmed.

They both raised their right arm.

The other six Zenos smiled at the idea. By what they saw of this two, it seemed fun to have another one of themselves around as friends.

xxxxxxx

Timeline Six - Around 23 years after the Cell Games (16 years after Buu)

For the inhabitants of the planet Earth, both the regular and the superhuman ones, it had been a completely normal day... until now.

As this timeline´s Kaioshin Shin and the Elder Kaioshin, Lord Beerus and the Angel Whiz appeared in the sky over the planet.

This version of Shin however was still merged in a fusion with his servant Kibito.

"So this is the planet Earth," Whiz said to them.

"Yes," the Kaioshin replied. "I - that means the Kaioshin and Kibito - have been here before. The most powerful mortals of our universe life on this planet."

He remembered how they had fought against Majin Buu years earlier. Son Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks and Goten, Vegeta falling under Babidi´s influence but then sacrificing himself in an attempt to stop Buu.. the Z-sword - the Elder Kaioshin freed after being trapped in it for ages, the Fusions... and finally how Goku had been restored to life and defeated Buu.

But that was a long time ago, at least by mortal standards.

Now another line of battles had happened over just a short time. First the parasitic Tsufuru creation Beby, then the fused Android Super 17 and finally the Shadow Dragons.

The Shadow Dragons had been seven monstrous dragon-like beings, that had been created as the result of the Dragon Balls being corrupted by negative energy. Now the battle against them had just been over for a short time.

Now the Dragon Balls were gone. And so was Son Goku.

Or at least he was until now.

At the end of the last battle as the last Shadow Dragon had been defeated, the corrupted Dragon Balls had been absorbed into his body and he left together with Shenlong to another realm, for the time the Dragon Balls would need to completely recover and the negative energy to dispel.

Which would have normally taken over one century.

This would have also meant that Son Goku would have been unable to take part in the Tournament. Not because they had been unable to reach him at the place where he had gone with Shenlong. In fact they had already made contact with Goku before they came here.

But it would have been against the rules set by Lord Zeno. The Kaioshin remembered the ground rules Lord Zeno and the Highpriest had given them for this Tournament.

xxxx

Only residents of the Mortal Realm, no reigning gods, no people from the Afterlife, no people working directly for a God of Destruction or Kaioshin or trained by one. Which excluded all of the Pride Troopers from Universe 11 or the assassin Hit from Universe 6 or Lady Heles personal group of Warriors.

It would only be Mortal Realm against Mortal Realm.

Another rule was that Universe 7 had preference in the choosing of the fighters, since most of the variations between the timelines stemmed from it. It was completely allowed to fill the ranks with fighters from other Universes if there were not enough or the god who did the choosing found the fighters he found some of the fighters here lacking.

But Universe 7 was to be given the first choice.

xxxx

Shin guessed this rules made sense given the nature of this particular tournament.

Son Goku had not longer been a resident of the Mortal Realm.

But for some reason Lord Zeno (the Zeno from their timeline) was very interested to have him on their team. So the Angel Whiz on his behalf offered to cleanse the negative energy from the Dragon Balls inside his body.

So Goku would rejoin them in a short time. That were some really good news the Kaioshin could bring his friends from Earth. And he himself was happy as well that Goku could return and see his friends and family again.

But first he would inform them about the invitation to the Tournament.

Timeline Number Six´s Kaioshin Shin send out a telepathic call to the fighters to inform them about the Tournament.

xxxxxxx

Timeline Ten - Around 22 years after the awakening of the Androids (15 years after Majin Buu)

For the inhabitants of the planet Earth, both the regular and the superhuman ones, it had been a completely normal day... until now.

As this timeline´s Kaioshin Shin and the Elder Kaioshin, Lord Beerus and the Angel Whiz appeared in the sky over the planet. This version of Shin however was still merged in a fusion with his servant Kibito.

"It is here?" Whiz asked them.

"Yes," the Kaioshin replied. "I - that means the original Kaioshin and Kibito - have been here before. The most powerful mortal fighters of our universe life on this planet. What is left of them anyway," Shin admitted.

He remembered how they had helped them against Majin Buu years earlier.

xxxx

Both Son Goku and the Artificial Human called Seventeen had sacrificed themselves to defeat Majin Buu. But during that Buu had also still manage to cause the death of the North Kaio and the destruction of his planet.

Because of that the being named Bojack, who the four Kaios had sealed away centuries ago had been freed. To stop his invasion of Earth and defeat him, even more fighters had died - Krillin, Yamchu, Tien Shinhan, Muten Roshi, the Kaioshin remembered their names.

And worst of all, the young Guardian named Dende. With that the Dragon Balls were also destroyed and nobody could bring the people who died back.

At least Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks and Goten were still around.

They and another one. One Shin had once never thought he would be asking for help. But he was just about to do exactly that.

During the fight against Buu, the Demon King Dabura had changed sides and helped them against the monster.

Not only that, it seemed being freed from Babidi´s mind control and being confronted with the threat Buu represented to the entire universe and fighting against it side by side with them had completely changed his perspective on many things.

He had maybe not exactly turned into what Shin or most other people would have called a friendly person. But he had at least agreed to a kind of truce.

He had also not showed much interest in returning to the Demon Realm and retaking control of it and had staid on Earth instead.

xxxx

"Actually there are still other very powerful fighters in this universe," Whiz commented. "Only that they are criminals imprisoned by the Galactic Patrol."

"We will not need to rely on beings like this," the Elder Kaioshin stated. "If Lord Champa does what he promised and presents us a few fighters on his own. And if he doesn´t, there are still a few other universes."

"As much as I hate to rely on Champa," Beerus agreed. "It is better than getting our fighters right out of a prison... well, probably at least." He could not help to make this jab against his brother.

Timeline Number Ten´s Kaioshin Shin once again send out a telepathic call to the fighters. The ones who were still alive.

Son Gohan and his wife and his mother were at their family´s home at Mount Paozu

Vegeta and Trunks were at Capsule Corp. Piccolo at his house away from humans. And Son Goten at his appartment in West City.

Good. But they were not enough to fill up the team of 10 members that Lord Zeno had asked for. So they would ask Champa and maybe the other Universes gods for more fighters.

Champa had told them that he already had a few candidates in mind.

xxxxxxx

Timeline Eight - Around 33 years after the awakening of the Androids

This timeline was quite different than the first two. It was a `future´ timeline. A world where Goku had died from a heart virus, where the Androids 17 and 18 had destroyed most of the planet Earth and the human race. And where Trunks had travelled back in time to save Goku´s life and find a way to stop the Androids.

Since the loss of many of Universe 7´s best fighters, the Zenos had decided to contact the future-timelines at a later point in their time when the other ones. To give other ones the chance to grow in strength in their stead.

It were also not Shin, Beerus or Whiz who appeared to collect the fighters in this world. Here Shin and Kibito had died a few years ago in the fight against Babidi and Dabura to prevent the awakening of Majin Buu... and since the Kaioshin and the God of Destruction were connected, Beerus died with him.

Instead it was someone else who had come.

"What a mess," Champa said. "Beerus just had to get himself killed, so that we have to come to his universe as well."

"Well - technically it was Universe 7´s Kaioshin who got himself killed," his Angel Vados pointed out.

"He should have taken better care of his Kaioshin," Champa replied. "That´s what he got for always sleeping for decades," he said with more than a bit of frustration. He would never admit that the death of his brother actually got to him.

"Anyway - do we have some good candidates here?"

"Indeed there are," Vados stated. "There are two saiyans who have both reached the so called Super Saiyan transformation right here on Earth. And a couple more quite powerful beings.

And it seems there are a few more out in space."

"Good - let us just take them and if their are not enough take a few people from our own Universe to fill up the team," Champa said.

xxx

In some distance away, this timeline´s version of Future Trunks was having a sparring match with nobody else than his uncle Tarble - Vegeta´s younger brother who had been exiled from Planet Vegeta when he was young for being too weak.

Who had come to Earth several years ago to ask for help against a group of enemies from space and to defeat a group of survivors from the Freeza Force avenge the death of his wife.

Both he and Trunks were fighting as Super Saiyan Two. Tarble, this Tarble, had far surpassed any of the low estimations about the power he could reach a long time ago.

Standing close to them and watching their fight were Android Sixteen and Trunks daughter Jeanna.

Jeanna´s mother had been killed during the war against Beby, just a few years ago. Just like so many other people during Trunks and Bulma´s lives. And in opposite to the past, they were not longer able to simply bring back people with the Dragon Balls.

xxx

Not far away from them were Trunks mother Bulma and Android Twenty One, were working together in the lab.

It was then when they all heard the telepathic message from the Angel Vados.

xxxxxxx

The same was happening in all of the six timelines that were decided to take part in the Tournament.

In all of them Kaioshin, Gods of Detructions and Angels were searching out and choosing warriors... good and evil alike.

xxxxxxx

Timeline Zero - Planet of the Grand Kaio of Universe 7

Another couple of days later

The time of the beginning of the Tournament was there.

In a hurry the fighting arena of the Grand Kaio´s Planet had been `prepared´ for Lord Zeno´s arrival. As much as it was possible at least.

The four Kaios had come to greet Lord Zeno as well.

Everyone was shocked however that not just one (or even the two Zeno´s currently ruling their reality) but eight versions of the Omni-king would appear. From their own and every of the timelines that participated.

The Kaios, with some help from whiz, build up an extra section in the spectator ranks of the arena for the Zenos and their other guests.

Who were just arriving right now.

The two Zenos of this timeline and the Highpriest, along with the Zeno´s group of `advisors´ - a.k.a Goku and the others, then the Gods of Destruction of Universe 6, 2 and Eleven and the group of Pride Troopers with them.

And then the six Zenos from the timelines that took part in the tournament and their guards.

"Lords Zeno, Grandpriest - it is a honor to have you here," the Grand Kaio greeted them. "May I introduce, this are the Kaios of the North, West, East and South Quadrants of this Universe."

"Hello... Hello," the Zenos greeted them in choir.

"Goku - it is good to see you again," Master Kaio - a.k.a the North Kaio of Universe 7 said. "I have heard little of you for the last few years. Ever since you and the others staid with Lord Zeno."

"Son Goku," the Grand Kaio said, "I have to say the same thing. Good to see you again. Will you take part in the Tournament too?"

"No - well, I mean a few versions of me probably will, but not this me. You know what I mean." He grinned.

Of course they knew the nature of this tournament.

"As much as I hate not to take part in something like this, this time I am only spectator.

They all were moving to their seats in the stadium.

The Zenos and the Highpriest of course in a large loge that had just been made especially for them with eight thrones. With their timeline´s own two Zenos in the center and the others around them.

Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Seventeen, Eighteen, Broly, Jiren and Lord Beerus, Shin and Whiz were sitting in a line right below them.

And the gods and warriors of Universe 6, 2 and 11 in the seats next to them.

A few minutes more passed.

xxxxxxx

Now the time for the arrival of the participants had come.

And so the first groups appeared one after another around the large fighting stage. Each accompanied by at least one Kaioshin wearing a time-ring and one Angel assisting him.

And most of the groups included very familiar faces for Son Goku and the others.

The first group came from Timeline Six. All in all twenty persons. Ten fighters and besides them up to ten more persons who were allowed as visitors, as Zeno and the Highpriest had explained.

The group consisted of another Son Goku, this one was wearing a light blue shirt and yellow trousers, a Vegeta, who was wearing black leather clothes and had his hair cut slightly different from the one they knew, Gohan, then Goten and Trunks, who all looked not too different from the versions they knew,

a dark skinned young man with a mohawk (Timeline Zero´s Goku recognized him as the reincarnation of Majin Buu) and (a bit surprisingly) Pan, who was wearing a bandana on her head, a red shirt and jeans...

... and a version of Super 17 and 18.

They looked a bit different from the versions of their own timeline, but they easily identified the merged version of Seventeen and Eighteen with their artificially created doubles. But they were just standing next to the others without any sign of hostility. So it were obviously their normal personalities who were in control, not someone else.

Besides them were also Chichi, Bulma, Bra, Videl, Mister Satan, Krillin, Marron, Muten Roshi and Oolong present.

The last three members of their team were not from universe 7. It were, Cabba, Caulifla and another saiyan they had never seen before. All three of them however were wearing the outfit of the Sadalah Defense Force.

xxxxxxx

Spectator Ranks

"No way!" the Caulifla from Timeline Zero called out. "A version of me has actually joined the Defense Force along with Cabba and my brother?"

"Your brother?" Goku asked.

"The man next to our counterparts is Captain Renso of the Sadalah Defense Force," Cabba explained. "He is a friend of mine and was my mentor. He was not part of our team in the Tournament of Power because of an injury. He was also the one who advised me to recruit Caulifla instead."

"Well - it turned out for the best, didn´t it Kale?" Caulifla said. They both smiled at him.

"Twelve warriors?" Gohan realized. There were indeed 12 capable fighters under them, but...

"A good observation Gohan," the Highpriest stated. "But no, your counterpart and their Android Eighteen are only here as spectators and will not take part in the Tournament itself."

"I understand," Gohan said. "Moment - if their Eighteen has a super form like this, why should she not take part of the Tournament? She should be one of their strongest fighters, right?"

"Maybe she does not entirely trust herself with this form," their Eighteen suggested. "I remember how it had been to be changed and controlled like this. If her transformation was not so long ago, she might not feel save about her new power yet."

"But her brother is taking part," Goku pointed out.

"Just because they both have `gained´ this new form, does not mean it is exactly the same for them," Seventeen responded.

He used the word gain with more than a little bit of strain. For them becoming the Super Androids had not meant gaining anything. It was loosing control of who they were. He reminded himself that it might not have been the same for their doubles.

"We don´t even know for sure if both of them had been mind-controlled like we were," he reminded them.

xxxxxxx

In the next group that arrived a few moments later - Timeline Eight - the first person they recognized was Future Trunks. They already knew from the recordings they had watched a few days ago that this was a future timeline. And they had also seen Trunks finding an still intact Android 16.

So they were also not surprised to see the tall red headed Android right next to him. But he was not the only one. Standing beside them were Android 21, a young girl with dark purple hair - Trunks daughter? and... Vegeta´s younger brother Tarble?

And of course Bulma, who seemed to be the only person this group had brought along as a spectator. So it were only 11 persons as a whole.

Like the last group however, they also had fighters from Universe 6 with them. Who had all been at the Tournament of Power.

The first was yet another Cabba, who looked far older and somehow grimmer than either they one they knew or the one who had arrived with the first group, then the tall bear-like fighter Botamo, the metal-man Auta Magetta and the small pig-like alien Doctor Rota.

But it was the last member of their group, who stood a bit aside from all of her team-members, that completely shocked the spectators from Timeline Zero.

xxxxxxx

Spectator Ranks

"That is impossible," Vegeta called out.

"How can she be here?" Gohan exclaimed.

"That is..." even Goku was at a loss for words.

So was the rest of their friends.

Even the Kaioshin and Gods of Destruction who had met her before in person looked completely gobsmacked.

Standing down there next to the fighting platform was the woman named Towa.

xxxx

Only the Towa they knew was a follower of Demigra, one of his Fallen Angels, who had originally been Angels of Universe 13 to 18, before they had become corrupted and erased by Zeno.

Only that, after at the climax of their last battle, Demigra had wished from the Super Dragon Balls to merge himself with Lord Zeno, merge them across all timelines, into one being... he had been stopped and his consciousness inside Zeno went dormant.

And so his Angels went dormant as well. The unconscious remaining Fallen Angels had been send back to the Universial Void where Demigra had been contained before.

xxxx

And yet the woman standing down there was looking nearly exactly the same, the face, the white hair, the light blue skin, even the red cat-suit she was wearing looked like something she would wear.

Only her ears were somewhat different, larger and sharper pointed.

"You all seemed confused. So was I when I heard about this, I admit," the Highpriest said.

"Then could you please explain it to us?" Beerus asked more than a bit irritated.

"The person you are seeing before you is Towa, a demon from the Demon Realm and sister of the Demon King Dabura," the Highpriest said.

"Dabura never had a sister," Shin stated.

"Not in your timeline, no. And not in most other timelines. But in a few it seems he had," the Highpriest replied.

"You can not believe that this is just a coincidence," Seventeen said.

"No. Maybe you can figure it out yourself?"

"Demigra," Seventeen stated.

"Yes," the Highpriest said.

"But how?" Goku asked.

"Demigra had wished for him and Lord Zeno to become one being, over all timelines... and he had absorbed the power of the Super Dragon Balls. That gave him nearly complete influence over space, time and matter. The only thing holding him back was that he had to share this control with Lord Zeno," the Highpriest pointed out.

"However, even Lord Zeno is not completely sure if he knows every detail Demigra had done or changed in the Multiverse."

"Yes - it is sometimes hard... to remember," Future Zeno told them.

"And it will be like that again if he should ever reawaken," Present Zeno said.

They all remembered this time. And they fully hoped it would not happen again soon.

"Even now with his conscious mind mostly dormant," the Highpriest continued, "he could still have some influence. Not fully aware of course."

"You mean like he is dreaming?" Gohan asked.

"Maybe not exactly, but quite a good comparison," the Highpriest replied.

"And you mean Demigra has somehow manipulated reality to create a copy of his servant?" Seventeen questioned.

"It is the best explanation I can come up with," the Highpriest stated.

"Anyway, we should better keep an eye on her," Eighteen said.

xxxxxxx

Down in the arena, the two just arrived groups greeted each other.

"Trunks," the Goku from Timeline Six called out, "it is nice to see you again."

"Goku?" Future Trunks replied.

"How are you son?" Vegeta asked him.

"Father," he replied, "it seems you have met me before."

"Yes," Goku said, "first when you had warned me about the Androids and gave me the cure to the heart virus. And then when we had been fighting against Cell later."

"Excuse me - but the Goku I knew had died during the Cell Games," Future Trunks pointed out.

"Yes - that actually happened to me," Timeline Six Goku replied. "But I was restored to life a few years later to fight another monster named Majin Buu."

"I understand," Future Trunks said. "So you might actually be the same timeline I had visited back then."

The wizard Babidi had appeared in his timeline as well, with the intention to awake this monster.

"Yes - that is actually possible," Goku replied.

"Hello Trunks," Gohan greeted him.

"Gohan," Trunks said.

The last time he had met Gohan in the past, he had been a child. This time however he was older than the one who had been his teacher had ever the chance to become. Future Trunks was not quite sure what to say.

In this moment however the third group appeared, the one from Timeline 9.

xxx

The one thing it had in common with Timeline 8 was that Trunks was standing in the center of their group, another version of Future Trunks. He looked very similar as the first one, except that he was wearing a goatee and seemed around the same age.

But with the people around him, there were more than a few differences. While they had as well Bulma and Android 16 with them, there were also their versions of...

... Android Seventeen and Eighteen. Not only that, next to them was also an alien woman who had been part of Bojack´s band of fighters.

And a young girl who looked quite similar to Eighteen, but also a bit like Trunks and with his hair color... and two boys, one who could also be Trunks child and another who looked similar to the alien woman... and a bit like Seventeen?

The rest of their group consisted of other versions of Botamo and Auta Magetta from Universe 6, who were also part of Timeline 8´s team. This seemed to be a pattern that, after Universe 7 they went to their twin universe Universe 6 to fill up their ranks.

The presence of 17 and 18 was not so much of a surprise to the people from Timeline Zero on the spectator ranks. After all they had already watched a few glympses of these timelines and knew about the Androids being resurrected by the Dragon Balls with completely changed personalities.

But these children?

Future Trunks and Eighteen - a couple? some of them thought. The thought seemed outlandish given what the Androids of his timeline(s) had done. The idea of 17 being with Bojack´s former henchwoman on the other side was not so far off.

This other Future Trunks and his teammates were looking at the other two groups for a moment.

"Gohan, Father, Goku," he said pretty similar to his counterpart.

Then however he was looking at someone else.

"You keep very dangerous company," he said to his counterpart, looking towards Towa and Twenty One.

Most other members of his team where

"The same could be said about you," the other Trunks responded with eyes on 17 and 18.

"Look - I know what you are thinking," Timeline Nine´s Trunks said. "The Dragon Balls have accidentally brought them back when my mother wished back all the `innocent´ people who had died, after I killed them.

They are now free of any of Doctor Gero´s programmings. You might find it hard to believe, but their minds were controlled by this programming the entire time and they are completely different persons since then."

"My name is Lazuli," `Android 18´ said to him.

"I am Lapis," `17´ introduced himself.

"You are right," Trunks from Timeline Eight said, "I find it hard to believe."

"So did I in the beginning," Timeline Nine´s Trunks replied. "But believe me, they are different persons and not responsible for what happened."

"You and her?" Timeline Eight´s Trunks asked.

"Yes," Trunks replied. "This are our daughter Iolitte and our son Shorz," he said.

"My wife Zangya and our son Joyaku," Lapis introduced the alien woman and the other boy.

xxxxxxx

Spectator Ranks

Meanwhile the Z-fighters from Timeline Zero had been listening to their entire conversation with the help of Whis staff.

"This are not us," Seventeen said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked.

"Doctor Gero did more than just programm us," Seventeen said. "He kidnapped two human teenagers and erased their memories and then had completely reconstructered our minds. Who we are, that is pretty much the result of Gero trying to form us into what he wanted us to be against our attempts to resist him, pluss whatever is left of the humans we were created from."

"But they are not us," Eighteen agreed. "Lazuli and Lapis are dead and gone," she stated. "This, the Dragon must have somehow resurrected the humans we once were inside our Android bodies."

The thought sometimes haunted them. Were their old selves maybe still there, trapped somewhere in their subconsciousness.

"I am sorry," Gohan said, "but are you really sure that you are not maybe still the same persons at your core. Just with different memories and abilities?"

Neither Seventeen or Eighteen said anything for a moment. The truth was they did not want to be Lapis and Lazuli, no matter if in some sense they were or not.

Saying they were Lapis and Lazuli was saying they had their entire lives taken from them, had their childhoods and identity erased. Why would they prefare to be broken husks of humans over whole Androids who are their own beings?

xxxxxxx

Arena

In this moment the last remaining timelines arrived.

The group of Timeline Ten consisted of their versions of Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Goten, Eighteen and the Demon Dabura? and also Cabba, Caulifla and Kale. And Bulma, Chichi and a few other people as visitors.

Timeline Eleven however, like they could have guessed by the scenes they had seen from it, their group consisted nearly entirely of Androids.

More than half of them Gero´s creations, with the Doctor himself standing in front of them, then 17, 18, 16, 13 and Mai? No, they all could sense, she had no ki, that was an Android created from Mai. It was a timeline where Doctor Gero had conquered the Earth.

The rest of their team came from Universe 3. This seemed somewhat fitting, given their robot and cyborg creations. The Universe 3 scientist Paparoni, the robot Biarra, the liquid being Maji Kayo and the interstellar policemen Catopesra.

But what followed then was something nobody could have expected.

xxxxxxx

Spectator Ranks

"There is only one other version of me here, but many Seventeens and Eighteen or Trunks," Goku commented.

"You have a habbit of dieing of a heart virus or sacrificing yourself to stop some monster," Vegeta remarked.

In this moment Timeline Twelve appeared.

There was a group of six mostly humanoid being who looked more or less like lizards or... dragons. And with them one teal skinned and green haired very attractive woman.

xxx

"The Shadow Dragons," Goku and Pan from Timeline Six said nearly at the same time as they saw them.

"Were they really stupid enough to invite them here?" their Vegeta asked.

Everyone in the stadium could sense the sinister energy radiating from this group.

And the other members of their group?"

xxx

"Is this us?" Sanka from Universe 2 called out loud.

"B-but we were not meant to take part in tournament, since we are working for Lady Heles," Su stammered.

"Unless this version of us don´t work for Lady Heles," Brianne said. "And why are we dressed like that?"

The versions of Brianne, Sanka and Su down there were wearing completely black clothes and even shoes. Standing close beside them was another version of Vikal and Jimeze who obviously came as a spectators. And similar to the Shadow Dragon they had a dark aura around them.

Heles and Kaioshin Pell starred downwards, not quite able to believe it as they saw this version of `their girls´.

"Highpriest - is this the correct group?" Heles called out to him.

"I - I am not sure," he admitted. Even he seemed unsettled here. "The Universe 7 Kaioshin from Timeline Twelve had informed me that he was short on time and could not send me a list of his warriors beforehand. But this..."

The Shadow Dragons or the obviously twisted version of Universe 2´s warrior maidens however were not even as bad as the person who had helped to bring them here. A figure who looked identical to Son Goku, only with a different aura, wearing black clothes and with a time-ring on his hand... Goku Black - a.k.a the Kaio Zamasu in a stolen body.

Only...

"I thought we had erased that guy," Zeno said.

"Yes," Future Zeno agreed.

They did indeed even send out warnings and instructions to all other timelines to erase every version of Zamasu in existence after the disaster Black had caused - the `Zero Zamasu Plan´, as the Highpriest had once called it sarcastically in a pun to Zamasu´s plan to eradicate all Mortals.

So where did this Black come from when he shouldn´t exist anymore?

In this moment Goku from Timeline Zero had already teleported down right next to Black... with Vegeta following close behind him.


A small announcement: The new cover-image is AI generated and was made and provided to me by heartbyte, a AI assisted story and fanfic archive. While I don´t use the AI writing function, I have posted a few of my stories on it.

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Author´s Note: Aside from the reimagined Demigra, there appeared also a version of Towa in the story "Dragon Ball Aftermath", who was an Angel who had turned against Zeno, instead of a demon and Dabura´s sister.

This has now actually become a plot-point in this story, since a version closer to the original is appearing here.

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With the next chapter will follow a general change of perspectives and it will be more from the point of view of the participating timelines than the spectators from Timeline Zero like in the first chapters.

xcc

Participating Timelines:

Timeline Six: GT Timeline (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z series and movies five, nine and thirteen)

Timeline Eight: Alternate Future Timeline (connected to the GT instead the Super timeline.)

Timeline Nine: Alternate Future Timeline (based on the fanfic Dragon Ball OT)

Timeline Ten: Unseen timeline - A timeline where Cell did not came from the future (based on my story Unseen Timeline)

Timeline Eleven: Reign of the Androids - A timeline where Doctor Gero and his Android have taken over Earth.

Timeline Twelve: Alternate GT Timeline