"... I wish they'd understand."

The howling spirits of the gloomy forest actively avoided the four in their midst, despite the latter group's rugged state.

"C'mon, princess, don't talk like that." The devil horn-haired saiyan nursed his growing collection of wounds. "Saiyans beat the tar out of each other all the time, and we never complain."

A burly namekian in baggy attire chuffed. "How one complains about this much 'distortion' energy, I can't piece together." He aimed and fired a blast at a spirit, sending it spiraling in an agony it should've been long past. "You're SUPPOSED to cast aside others to seize your ambitions, that's how it works."

Her vermilion glance stayed set on the ground. Her staff shook in her tightening grip.

"Everything I've done was for the sake of the Demon Realm. And they'd venture this far, just to kill me…"

Towa pulled a breath between her grit teeth.

Suddenly, a mental tug toward her staff took her attention. "Hm?"

She directed it to the ground, and ever-complicating carvings began to move.

… A spit in the face. An enemy's moment of weakness. A chance to take out her anger on another's despair.

The emotion, and expression across her face following it, neither she nor her silent blue companion – who'd just returned from burying the bodies of several demons – could put their finger on. "Lady Towa…?"

"Trunks, you cur…!"

Let's Sketch Our Tomorrow...!

Trunks stumbled through the door.

His frazzled eyes locked onto an empty chair amongst the other three filled spaces. A tipsy, exasperated giggle trailed from him as he traveled over to the seat, pausing for a moment on its backrest to take a breather. At long last, he hurled himself onto his seat, taking a lengthy sigh as he dropped his briefcase by the chair's side.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked.

Son sucked her teeth, swiping her holo-mini away.

"Hmph. Youth and their teensy attention spans…" muttered the senior kaioshin, folding up his dirty mag.

Vegeta hadn't so much as unfolded his arms. He had a sage's patience when he felt like waiting. "No, but it seems we have."

His son hastily tidied himself up, gaining composure. "Good, good."

"Assuming lil' Chronoa threw a fit, as always?" asked Elder Kai.

"Well, King Enma's throwing his own after Heaven was flashed with the flare of a thousand suns… ok he made it very clear it was MORE than a thousand but f-figure of speech… and between that and the CONSTANT leaps in power throughout the semifinals that NO ONE was prepared for-"

Pan swooshed her nose. "I reinforced the barrier last match, just in time. You're welcome, by the way-"

"-now the Supreme Kai of Time's demanding to know why the hell I'd authorize a tournament in the first place."

Vegeta's brow raised. "... wasn't this entire operation her idea?"

Trunks stared.

Vegeta shook his head. "Never mind all that, what's this meeting about?"

Trunks cleared his throat. "Right. Now that the finals are set in stone,"

"Wait why's Crone still running it if-"

"-ARE SET IN STONE," Trunks continued, with a notable vein now pulsating up his forehead. "We can discuss the students up to this point. More specifically… whether or not they should receive a patroller's license."

Three-fourths of the quartet sprouted inquisitive glances.

"What's the occasion?" asked Pan.

Trunks steepled his fingers. "As we speak, Towa's being hunted."

"... yeah. She is."

His steepled grip kissed his forehead. "No, I mean, something else, something WORSE. Other demons."

Clouds outside passed over the sun.

Vegeta hunched forward. "They're leaving their realm?"

Trunks confirmed with a nod. "There aren't any on the level we faced during Operation Shimenawa… yet. Maybe it's because they're so much weaker, they're able to find their way out? I only have vague clues as to what the hell's causing this, but the bottom line is that-"

"Wait."

This was like the third time she'd interrupted him. His face reflected as such.

Pan submissively raised her hands, but her confident demeanor remained. "The Demon Realm has had open doors across history on several planets, right? Earth, Sadala, Namek… what if that's how?"

Trunks cooled off. "That can't be. It's not like time in the Demon Realm differs so radically from conventional history, an event from the 850s could directly spur a demon to, recently, pop out looking for its perpetrator a hundred years earlier."

"... the point in history Towa opened that Demon Realm door..." Son distributed her attention to all parties present. "Wasn't it literally a billion years before the 850s?"

Trunks' eyes gaped, only to slowly squeeze even tighter in strain. "That's huge, but... even still... this level of resentment targeted toward one of their own, that could ONLY be due to some sort of knowledge of what she's done! But she didn't do anything during our raid that could justify making her Public Enemy #1 for an entire cosmos, nothing short of her involvement with Mechikabura..."

"I mean, she DID allow FOUR mortals... alright, THREE mortals and whatever Puddin is... into the Demon Realm 'one time', and THAT could've definitely put her on a permanent list after," Pan turned to a conveniently-oblivious Vegeta, "What THEY did to it..."

Trunks took what she said into account, once more running them through his head to ensure he could stop racking his brain over it.

Just as he started to relax, something else leapt out at him. "Then, Robel? Chamel? They shouldn't have even known our names, never mind have been any issue so far back...! Dammit, as different as it is, the Demon Realm should still have some sort of continuity in line with history's!"

Elder Kai had his thinking cap on — thankfully, for all involved, it wasn't as tight around his head as it was Trunks'. "How can we be so sure now, after all that's happened to it? Hell, how can we be so sure it was ever similar? It's not like we've ever kept tabs on the accursed world, outside of keeping its incursions at bay..."

After a moment of silence, one in place of what he could've sworn would've been another decisive point, the commander fell into an uneasy, silent agreement.

"All the more reason, then," said Vegeta, refocusing the discussion. "So I'm assuming these demons are appearing, searching for the urchin, getting bored and running amok across scattered points in time?"

Trunks followed his father's example, nodding. "We have it under control right now, but the pace at which they appear is growing. I'm making the call that I am because we're looking only at a quantitative increase in activity. There's nothing too high-caliber right now, and thanks to the exam-tournament,"

Son rolled her eyes.

"I've been able to gauge the next generation of what's already-junior patrollers, first-hand. So has Pan, and you both, though to a lesser extent as us."

Elder Kai tilted his head. "So what're we right now, talent show judges?"

"... from a certain point of view, yeah." Trunks shook the absurd visualization out of his head. As if it didn't already happen. CTE must suck. "So, let's drop all potential biases, make our cases, hear them out, and decide fairly with a majority vote!"

Everyone scoffed.

Trunks adjusted his collar. "(I can't win, can I?) If nothing else, let's try, alright?"

Everyone shrugged.

"(I'll take it.) Remember, these aren't PQs or anything, as dangerous as those already are — there's now the risk of further corrupting history, if not careful. This is a step above a parallel, albeit one below a 'true' mission. We have to take all of this into consideration when we make our judgement."

"Mh."

"Fine by me."

"I'm game."

"If that's understood…!" Trunks pulled up and opened the briefcase, revealing a stack of files. "Let's kick this off!"

[ BGM: Toshiyuki Kishi – Innocent World ]

A file was drawn.

"First is…!"

The file drawn detailed a golden-eyed, dread-headed teenager in baggy pants held by a tri-tailed, free-flowing belt that hung off his side, and a sleeveless, hooded jacket detailed with tribal markings that spoke of three stories slowly melding into one in the center of the back. "From Match 1: Graffia Tenganosu!"

"Oho!" went the senior divinity. "The lad from the same island as the Neo-brat!"

"Mh. He had a much-better hold on those paranormal abilities, to boot. At least, at first."

"Yeah, he was goaded on WAY too easily for my vote. If another student can make him break composure and nearly throw his life away with a few jabs at tradition, then there's no telling what someone with REAL ill intent could do to him."

"Although, he DID play a hefty role in defending the city against Frieza…"

"He holds his own exceedingly well for a human, especially one at his age. With someone to rein him in, there should be little problem allowing him to fight."

"... I'm still not convinced."

"Mh…" Trunks folded his arms, brow raised in thought. "Pan makes a good point, but so do you, Dad."

"Hey, I spoke my piece, too!"

"... yep, and he definitely fought against the siege… so it's come to me to make the call. I say let him! Of course, not without a trustworthy patroller, at least until he can prove his growth."

Another file was drawn. "Next on the list…!"

This file detailed a massive, plump and hot-pink majin in stripey overalls that didn't seem to match. "Match 2: Dumdum!"

Son stifled a laugh. As did Elder Kai.

"An oaf too strong for his own good, with no semblance of strategy. How droll. Next!"

"C-come on, Vegeta…! He has a hold on strategy and, if anything, he has a great understanding of when and where to use it."

"Right. He's burdened by neither overthinking nor excess emotion like his peers and other majin, and as such, his strategies are spontaneous, simple, and most of all, effective. He DOES seem lethargic, but with the right motivation, he could shine!"

"... tch. Unimpressed. The terms 'Lazy' and 'Patroller' are oxymoronic!"

"Looks like it's up to me, again… I can't say I dislike him at all, although Vegeta's right about his apathy being an issue. I'd say it's a matter of the right partner, once again! Someone to put the boot to him and iron out his blemishes!"

"Three to one, uncle!"

"Bah…!"

Enter the third file, this one detailing a drab namekian in a long, wavy, dark brown and black monk robe. "Now…! Match 3, Konus!"

"Now THAT'S a troublesome character… at least I think…"

"Yeah, that guy's all over the place. One minute he's having an existential crisis, the next he's causing a demonic scene in town, and the next after THAT he's helping patch a hole in space!"

"It seems he's been able to discover himself, thanks to the path laid out by the tournament… but how can we be so sure of his stability now, or lack thereof? After all, he has ties to the Demon clan."

"To speak nothing on his power, he's been a help recently. But, you're all correct, the stunts this guy has pulled are way too suspicious to just let go… until we can reach 100% of our full certainty that he's not a threat, let's play it safe and keep him at the junior level."

"Here, here!"

"Sounds good."

"..."

The fourth file was drawn, showcasing a short musai in a spiky, grey and black carapace, with torso, shoulders, and head adorned with with white bio-jewels. "And now…! Match 4, Aisu no Bukyu!"

"No."

"Hell no."

"Absolutely not."

Trunks stared away. "(Not sure what I was expecting, there…) No argument from me. He's just too immature, and what was once a sadistic streak has become a battle with a NEW trauma. Someone like that shouldn't even be considered for a junior position yet. We'll wait and see what the future holds for him."

"I'm no soothsayer, mind, but I can see a straight jacket and a padded cell MOST clearly."

"Hey, I don't like him much, either, but… everyone can change. Who knows?"

"He IS just a brat with more power than he knows what to do with. There's a chance."

Trunks gave his father such a crooked stare, it was like the world had gone on an angle. The other two bodies soon registered what'd been said, and followed suit.

"... what?"

"Trunks, I think we're compromised."

"Do you want to die, brat?"

"See?"

A nervous cough brought things back. "Let's put that talk aside, for now…"

"(WAIT, JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU ALL TAKE ME FOR!?)"

A fifth file was drawn before Vegeta could blow a gasket, the file in observance of a strawberry-blonde, blue-eyed young woman in a silk shirt and skirt, both beneath a long capelet decorated by the crest of a wyvern. "Match 5: Seraumics Selaine!"

"Yeah, that's a safe bet."

"I couldn't agree more, that no-good dark wizard is better off behind ba-I BEG YOUR PARDON, MISSY!?"

"Loud…! Yeah, Selaine lost her nerve and used hellish magic, literally, but you could tell how much of a mental toll it took on her from her match alone. It's why Trunks didn't outright call the match and detain her, right? On that end, there's a reason Konus up-and turned a new leaf. MAYBE it has SOMETHING to do with the girl who's calling him her…"

"... her wife. Yes."

Vegeta's head turned. "... she is an Earthling, right?"

"She's from the northwest."

"Aaaaah."

"Well I still don't trust her one bit! I don't care how high she cuts her skirt, dark arts and pantyhose are an instant veto for me!"

"You keep forgetting Mortal Affairs has an entire division made for dealing with your shit and I'm tired of reminding you."

"A JOKE! IT WAS A JOKE! I SWEAR!"

"Well, joke or not, I… partially… understand the grievance. But I've seen and heard great things about Seraumics as both a sorcerer and a person, especially what she's managed for Conton City's 'occult' scene. If anything, I can't help but think she'd be anything BUT a great patroller… with due supervision, for now. Vegeta?"

"I don't care what caliber of magic you possess. If a flying shoe is all it takes to best you, you're still a liability. She needs more training before I spare her even a glance."

"Oh… this is our first tie. Really should've seen this coming, now that there's only four of us… well, if we can't come to any tight conclusion, it's best if we play it safe and rule her alongside the other vetos… of course, with a closer eye on her progress, to see if our gripes change. Once there's reason beyond doubt that said gripes aren't a major issue, we'll reconsider!"

"That's fair… I guess…"

"... What's with that look!?"

" 'Closer eye' and you've really got NOTHING to say, huh?"

"C-COME ON, I'M ALREADY ON THIN ICE, AREN'T I!?"

"ALRIGHT! On with the next."

Trunks did so, and with gusto. This one captured a tall, tailed, outward spiky-haired young man in a russet body suit, with chipped RIT shoulder pads and a sash hanging four waist plates of the same make, both the pads and plates broken with what seemed like some misguided artistic intent. "Match 6: Archi!"

"The dumbass who couldn't even bring himself to block… he's got a big heart, but there's no space left for his brain. It takes more than a pretty face to be a patroller..."

"We're sharin' one mind, here," Elder Kai agreed, failing to catch the third sentence in time and hoping Pan did the same. "The kid's a dunce and a loud mouth, and for whatever reason, it took being mauled just to get it through his head not to fight like a showboater! Hard pass!"

"... a saiyan lives and dies for the belief they've ingrained into their fists. To break from that belief and return with one greater takes nothing short of a tremendous fighting spirit, and what I witnessed was just that. Besides, the boy endured a would-be fatal blow and returned a Super Saiyan, even louder than before. Proud warriors that can and will change themselves for the better are an absolute boon, and I demand to see more in our ranks."

Trunks stared at the other two.

"... h-he technically cheated, so…"

"But you allowed it…"

"SO!? I DON'T TRUST HIM WITH SCISSORS, LET ALONE A MISSION IN HISTORY!"

"HMPH! IF I'D KNOWN WE WERE ALL WRITING SOLILOQUIES TO TAKE OUR STANCES, I'D'VE BROUGHT MY THESAURUS! NO DICE!"

Trunks sighed. "Archi's a passionate kid, no doubt he's strong, and he's exceptional at boosting his teammates' resolve. But I agree, I need to see him in combat more before we can send him off to risk his life. His time is coming, but until then, let's be patient."

"Tch! So quick to throw your own old man under the bus, hm…!?"

Trunks stared. He drew the seventh folder as he did so. This fellow had a trident-like set of hair, both in upward spikes and bangs, and his armor was a combo of furred edge touch-ups and a beige hide — his chassis and tassets — above black cloth. He also wielded a dual-sided club with red lines racing through the weapon, branching from a hilt clad in spikes that penetrated his hand. "Mh-hm… Match 7…! Renchiru!"

"Who?"

"... the saiyan with the toruutsu."

"Oh. All he did was get kicked around, get possessed and lose."

"Mh. All he did was get kicked around, get possessed and lose."

"His showing was lackluster at best. He was only kicked around before being possessed and losing."

"So, final verdict is that we need to see more of Renchiru in action before we can postulate a fair, mature answer! Awesome! I love it when we make rational and unbiased decisions!"

"I never said that."

Trunks drew the eighth file, covering a sleek, steel-suited figure in burning blues and a dual-antennae'd helm in the shape of a raindrop. "MATCH 8: LIITA-MAN!"

Pan slapped the shit out of her knee. "I want eight of them."

Elder Kai and Vegeta gave her a look.

"What? He's versatile, he's strong, he thinks on his feet, what's not to love?"

"I've seen such ludicrous poses twice before, and I didn't fear them enough then. Until he drops the act, keep him out of any true battle."

"The kid is a cheese factory."

"... was that an innuendo?"

"I CAN'T SAY NOT A WORD AROUND YOU, BRAT!" Elder Kai turned to pouting. "Regardless, I'm on Vegeta's side. The theatrics will get him or someone else killed. Poor Oolong is still in the hospital after that reckless attack of his!"

"(Wasn't he cleared four days ago…?)" Trunks thought to himself, remembering his visit to Oolong and the three young nurses keeping his health.

Son rubbed her chin. " 'Announcer' and 'Weak' are oxymoronic, after all…"

Vegeta scowled. "He'll be an asset once he grows up, certainly."

"I can't say I didn't have a phase like that, myself-"

"YOU WERE A THIRTY FOUR YEAR-OLD MAN IN A z4,000,000 RIDER GETUP."

"B-BUUUT THEY'RE BOTH RIGHT. It's important to put the mission over any and all weird quirks like those displayed by LIITA-MAN. Until he can grow past them, it's best to keep him on the PQ side of things."

"...!"

"pan you're not pouting, are you?"

"No…!"

"Alright…"

"Yₒᵤ ₙₑᵥₑᵣ ₗₑₜ ₘₑ ₕₐᵥₑ ₐₙᵧₜₕᵢₙ𝓰…!"

"Alright," Trunks reiterated, drawing the next set's first file; this one showcased a smaller young woman with dark-red hair longer than her body length, in an older-than-old school black combat hanfu detailed with pink ribs and indigo highlights, alongside similarly-colored string that tightened both her sleeves and pants legs. "Now onto the quarterfinalists! Up first, Match 9: Shou Mi!"

"Xiāo Mèi."

"Shao Mei!" Trunks corrected to the best of his ability, as Pan thinly veiled her smug smirk. "Nice catch, it's been a while since I've had to read these kanji like that!"

"... she's a frustrating case to address. There's a clear sense of justice, but she can take it too far. She has commitment in spades, but her emotions spiral out of control if her opponent manages to rile her. She holds the grit needed to push past tire and pain, but traumas of the past can bring her to a standstill."

"Most importantly, while her uncanny techniques allow her to strike incredibly far above her weight, any minor attacks from formidable opponents leave her on the verge of death. It's almost tradition for humans, but she's dare-I-say the physical embodiment of the dichotomy."

"... all fair, but it's a major waste to count her out entirely. A lot of her faults were situational, y'know, and it's clear that her strong suit isn't in an open field where her enemy's looking right at her. Besides, the tools she has, and I'm just counting what she's SHOWN, show versatility above what I've seen from most full-fledged patrollers! I get that it's our job to be all-rounders, but if we send her on missions that favor her skill set, she'll shine."

"I… can't say I expected you to vouch for her like that, Pan."

"You said to drop biases, right?" Son shrugged. "Besides, I was having the time of my life in that match!"

"Y'know?" Elder Kai rubbed his chin. "I'm compelled. So long as she's aware of her strengths and weaknesses, in a battlefield with options for slipping away, she shows promise! All she needs from there is to do something about her choice of attire…"

Pan slowly turned her head.

"Mh-hm- after all, pink and the sort aren't exactly sleuthing colors."

"... nice save."

"That was the direction I was going in the first place…!"

Vegeta shrugged. "I'd know better than anyone the value of a stealthy combatant on the battlefield… especially the slicing sort…"

Trunks caught a giggle before it could leave his mouth. "... fair points, yeah. As long as Mei can adjust and adapt to her surroundings, there's no telling what she could offer as a patroller… or at least, for now, an assistant! Now then…!"

He opened the next folder: an abnormally-tall fuchsia Majin with white and blue eyes, in a grey buu-gi vest, white baggy pants, and a golden-brown cloak that'd been bisected down the middle, as if wings. "Match 10: Kaza!"

The three looked at him like he was stupid.

"Mh… g-guys…?"

"Did your voice cra- never mind that, don't you 'guys' us!" Son snarled, "Memory's already fading or what, old man!?"

"I hardly trust her walking the streets, let alone on a mission in HISTORY!"

"There's no way in HELL I want that… THING anywhere near a Time Scroll!"

"Hey, I understand the gripes, but don't you guys think you're being harsh?" Trunks replied. "This isn't exactly the first time we've had a patroller like this, anyway…"

"We weren't ready for it the FIRST two times, what makes you think we can handle a THIRD?"

"We don't know anything about her other than the fact she's got SOMETHING inside of her that feels way, WAAAY too familiar to the Demon Realm's Worst of the Worst. It would be stupid to place her on a real mission."

"You'll just have to take my word when I say that I've SEEN what horror something like her is capable of… in fact, she's FAR too similar to the case in question!"

Trunks sighed, defeated. "Well I doubt I'll change the consensus here, but hear me out before blacklisting her forever. Both Mei AND the upcoming Finalist have staked their lives on this girl's happiness alone, and you can't build bonds like that out of fear. All I'm saying is to have her be brought on a patrol with a senior and watch how she operates."

"... I can attest to how devoted her friends are."

"I can't quite disagree… but we don't know what is and isn't her true self, and there's no concrete way to prove she hasn't been using a guise all this time."

"Mh… g-guise?"

"You know what I mean."

Pan caught it that time. "Did it again- is that your REAL voice? Is the scratchy throat thing an ACT?"

"THE POINT HAS BEEN MADE, WE'LL NEED MORE PROOF THAT SHE'S IN CONTROL."

"Dammit, the gravel's back…!"

"Hey!"

"Just pull the folder already, folder puller."

"Little…" Trunks did as such. "Our next student is…"

Trunks stared at the folder.

He carelessly threw it to the wind. "Oops."

"HE DROPPED HIS POTENTIAL BIAS!"

"LITERALLY!"

"AH SHADDAP! HE'S EVEN WORSE THAN KAZA, ANYWAY! HYPOCRITES!"

Ever silent, Vegeta whisked it to his chair and snagged it; the file detailed a tall, ripped, shark-toothed and black-sclera'd young man with grey, droopy hair, a black shirt with red highlights and pants of like nature, from which hung a tail that appeared to've been mauled. "Kazikum of Match 11, huh?"

"Mh, mh," Trunks nodded to his surely in-agreement father, "The brat's far too dangerous to be left to his own devices, and his motivations alone are enough to warrant a permanent black-"

"I like him."

Trunks went Super Saiyan. "YOU'RE WRONG, FATHER!"

"Deja vu…?"

"Endless~ cycle~..."

"Oh quiet with the theatrics, boy," the warrior prince retorted. "In spite of his constant biting at authority, he, too, seems to have sparked quite the bond with others in Conton, pun withstanding — enough for one to wager her life then and there for, even. What's more, he's a blunt pain in the ass who speaks his entire mind without a trace of tact, so it's always clear whether or not he's hiding something. Taking all these in tandem with his natural duality as a BORN cross between saiyan and demon, and he holds unimaginable potential if trained correctly. With the right 'handler' to strip him of his single-minded ambition – a process of which I've already caught glimpses of, from his downright-incessant time spent in parallel quests with one namekian exclusively – he'll adjust and become not only a model patroller, but a true devil the likes of which even Broly would quake in the presence of."

"KHHH…!"

"FRIGGIN'... SHOWOFF…!"

"MAKING POINTS FOR… THAT JACKASS…!"

"(As per usual, I am the sole voice of reason in any room.)"

"Well," Pan butted in, having been shown up by the same guy twice, "The fact that he IS a demon, and that he'd rather call himself such than a mortal… whether or not he'll turncoat face-to-face with another demon is up in the air. That's double for if they play any mind games with him, especially involving his mother. Mentality-wise, it doesn't seem like it takes a lot to make him flip out."

"That said, there's only one way we can see for ourselves, right?"

Trunks grumbled, but his bearing slowly returned. "... he's stabilizing, thanks to the support of others. Not by a LOT, but he HAS begun to rein himself in. Maybe a mission alongside another patroller would be a better way to get an answer."

Vegeta smirked. "I KNEW you didn't have the guts to challenge your own dear father!"

"You wanna go, old man?"

"Come on, you two, you'll never make it to Bingo night at this rate."

The two grumbled away from each other as Son picked up the next folder. Slapped on was a small, dark blue-ponytail'd young man in a large, eye-concealing visor, wearing a fashionably-oversized navy-blue jacket with yellow highlights over matching corduroy pants, cuffs just a bit too long, and a tall collar. "Match 12: Akaki."

"Patroller."

"Patroller."

"Patroller. End of story."

"Wh… am I missing something?"

Trunks steepled his fingers. (Son could swear he was doing it victoriously.) "Akaki's managed to slip under the cracks for far, far too long."

Elder Kai crossed his arms, nodding. "The enigmatic runt's gone unnoticed for TWO YEARS, and ONLY NOW have we laid any sort of eyes on him."

"Alright but, he's still just a kid! Besides that, he still, y'know, messed with time?"

"Exactly!" Vegeta cosigned, strangling the air between his fist. "Put him to work until his back breaks!"

"Guys, I'm getting concerned."

Trunks chuckled. "I'm sort of joking."

"I'm not."

"I know. Anyway, I don't approve of the way he's been living, but he's already been a huge aid to Conton with what he's created. Until his matches, I had no way of verifying other than sparse word-of-mouth around the city; however, even though he's great at hiding his true intentions… too good, actually… I've seen enough to know that, if nothing else, he'd prefer to help more than he would harm. And that's all saying nothing about his combat ability! Taking all this into consideration, I'm comfortable with seeing what he can do as a patroller!"

Son's arms slowly unfolded. "Alright. But how're you sure he hasn't been duping you all this whole time?"

Trunks' expression dropped.

"Alright," Vegeta countered, "What if he's using that very suspicion as a ruse to escape further responsibility?"

Trunks' expression somehow dropped further.

"OK," Son countered, "What if he's using that assumption to entice you into rushing this decision, giving him some opportunity to do… I don't even know what? We know he's altered timelines before, and that was on his own. Who knows what he's really planning?"

"Very well," Vegeta countered, continuing the vigorous verbal lap sao session, "What if he's using that guesswork to ensure senior eyes begin to actively avoid him in place of merely overlooking him, now that he's 'forced' himself under the spotlight?"

Elder Kai stared. He could swear he saw a visor-clad puppet master hovering over them all. "Actually on second thought, I'm fairly certain that any answer other than 'placed under careful study' would be playing into the brat's hands."

Trunks unruffled his hair. "Mhm. Yeah. Let's, uh… let's keep him under PQs. Unless supervised. Preferably by someone with eagle eyes."

Pan slumped. "Sheesh, why's every quarterfinalist a giant red flag, one way or another?"

Vegeta rubbed his neck. "At least two of them are easy enough to read…"

Trunks gave a sigh of relief. "Well, each judgement had pretty sound points, I'll say that. And besides… we're down to our last two. The Semifinalists."

"(Thank Zeno,)" the senior god gleamed.

"First up," Trunks raised the penultimate file, covering a burning violet-eyed young man with a dark-brown, spiky ponytail in a light-grey vest, detailed with amethyst highlights ending with the tribal design of a feathered serpent on his back, over a white shirt with a black abstract design and tall, torn, dark-grey cargo shorts. "Match 13: Orojia Neoru!"

"Kaset's boy, hm?" Vegeta smirked. "It's true that two-of-three opponents gave him quite the leeway in his battles… initially."

"Yeah," Pan added. "While he's not too shabby a fighter, leaps and bounds above just-about any human his age in strength, he's got a slow start. In that time, nearly every student he's fought has been able to land something crippling... but that's just it." Son folded her arms. "He WASN'T crippled. Ever."

Vegeta grinned. "His body and mind are that of a human, but it ends there. Where that nifty Kaset managed to find a dragon of all things, I'll never know, but he managed to endow it with his own insolent intrepidity."

"And it goes WAY beyond outlasting his opponent." Pan shined a smirk of her own. "If he manages it right, his growth literally doesn't stop. Not only is the guy a nearly-limitless nuclear reactor, the way he throws strategies out and yanks them back in is almost like instinct. His way of fighting involves gnawing at every possible weakness and using everything around him as a weapon, not to mention his own! That sort of on-the-fly ingenuity is priceless!"

"What's more, his fighting spirit is effectively LIMITLESS! There's nothing that could stand to control or deter him besides his own will!"

Watching his father get this excited over a human being was an experience, to be certain.

"And the best part about it is how INFECTIOUS it is, too! Once he gets all Tlatla-y, just being AROUND him makes you wanna punch a wall, no matter HOW deep in pain or despair you are!"

Trunks and Elder Kai patiently watched the two be overcome by that very effect, even as the aforementioned boy was nowhere to be seen.

"You guys are forgetting what's probably his most important trait."

Both the full and quarter-blooded saiyans looked over.

Elder Kai nodded. "Yep! It's how reckless the runt is! He can't ever shut his yap, and he rushes head-first into certain death quite literally in SPITE of himself!"

"That's… not what I meant."

"I-wait wah?"

Trunks elaborated. "It's empathy. For every ability he has, from his spirit to his will, it wouldn't be much different from everyone else's if not for his humanity. In fact, it's what sparks the others in the first place. Every opponent he's faced instilled him with the same resolve — not to win the fight, but the 'argument' he starts with them. His every battle becomes personal, but he doesn't lose himself in any sort of blind anger… if he's not forced into a fight, then he's fighting either to face himself or change the one in front of him."

His thoughts seemed to drift, making eye contact with someone no longer there.

"I… I don't see enough of that in the patrol. And I know we could use more of it." He turned to Elder Kai. "But you're right. Someone has to be there to hold him back from outright dying, y'know? And honestly… I don't think it needs to be a senior. Just a peer will do."

Both Pan and Vegeta nodded.

The old kaioshin sucked his teeth. "Where'd all this warm n' fuzzy mumbo come from?"

Blowing out that pent-up emotion, Trunks took up the final envelope; this one belonged to a crimson-eyed young woman with a chopped balayage bob cut, in a scratched up, open red leather jacket with a chain collar and striped with white lines, over maroon jeans and a black shirt showcasing the wispy design of a prehistoric skeleton. "... actually…"

He handed it to Pan, who'd already gotten antsy before being handed the file. "You read it off."

For the briefest second before catching her bearing, Son looked at him like he'd called her some high order of slur. She cleared her throat. "Match 14: Spaurk Dina!"

"And that's the Ayeva girl's, if I'm not mistaken… which hardly adds up, considering the yabber-mouth on her…!" Vegeta's reserved demeanor returned. "Besides that, the boundless saiyan spirit in that girl is more than admirable, especially considering her Earth-bourne origins. Hell, she's an anomaly amongst human-saiyan hybrids in general, I'd say."

"Kuh!" Elder Kai's stance was less praiseworthy. "There's reckless, and then there's downright psychotic! How the hell are we supposed to trust someone as overemotional as Spaurk with ANY sort of delicate task when she's the type to witness a single historic death and fly off the handles at Mach 30? Maybe she'd excel in a profession where the top dogs wear capes and speedos over tights, but as a patroller? No go!"

From the one argument, Vegeta was growing swayed.

Pan looked to Trunks for his input.

He shook his head and, with eyes shut, pulled back his hands. For a moment, she saw the gesture as betrayal.

[ BGM: Toshiyuki Kishi – Shine ]

And then she read into his smirk.

Son's eyes sharpened. "(... fine. Game on.)" She faced front. "While I can attest as a first-hand eyewitness to her worse moments under duress, you have to keep in mind, those outbursts weren't born in a vacuum. Both incidents – the quarter and semi-finals – had history reaching far before the time of the tournament. If anything, the fact she was able to face head-on and overcome these points stands as a testament to this exam's success, and to her own growing mindset. Besides…"

Son crossed her arms. "One has to account for Spaurk Dina at her best, of which I've seen as, again, a first-hand eyewitness. Not only does she showcase the exact same breed of relentless daring and in-a-flash learning as Orojia, she has the strategic mindset to set plans in motion and continuously alter them to fit a changing battlespace. In addition to strength on par with the best within the exam, not to mention being a Super Saiyan, she holds the same level of versatility as students like Mèi – if not more so – thanks to her ability to alternate between and COMBINE both magic and ki, and we've seen the effect of this in staggering detail. Her grit is comparable to genuine one-in-a-millions like Neoru but, unlike him, all she has behind that is willpower."

Vegeta held silent. Elder Kai held pessimistic. "Mh… that's all lovely, but she still fails to meet the mark regarding mental maturity for now."

"You're wrong."

"Eh…?"

Son continued. "It's true that she's inexperienced, sure, but she's also demonstrated a capacity for both maturity and empathy, accompanying a willingness to take life-threatening risks beyond all but maybe a dozen full-fledged patrollers. The calls she's made…" She paused. "... she was more-than willing to risk her life in order to tear someone else out of berserk, and has the courage to follow through on it, over and over. She kept enough of her cool to break past her own grudges and meet an enemy with kindness. She's mature enough to know where her shortcomings lie and plan around herself accordingly, having never relied on any overwhelming power advantage for any victory across the tournament's duration. And above it all, she's stubborn enough to save people from themselves. I..."

Balling a fist, Pan accepted what could come of her next statement.

"I'd know. She's even done it for me."

"... so you know Spaurk?" asked Vegeta.

"... for a few days now, yeah."

Elder Kai side-scowled. "Well, that settles it. How'm I supposed to trust a word you say now!?"

"I'm not convinced of any bias," Trunks smiled, intervening at last. "It was abundantly clear how much faith Pan placed in Dina from the way she treated her throughout the exam, and it only kind-of spooked me. Regardless, you can't pin this on something as simple as favoritism; after all, I was there to make sure of that. What Pan sees in both Dina's ability and character is genuine, and she pulled no punches bringing them out of her. Of course, I'm reserving any comment until the end."

Pan smiled.

Vegeta took all things into consideration. "I've come to the conclusion that Spaurk Dina is a lunatic. One of the sort that can only be found in the patrol."

Pan tucked her smile into her palmed fist.

Elder Kai sighed. "I can't even argue that, can I… alright, I'm with this decision. After all, she has perhaps one of the best asse-"

Pan shot up, chair in hand.

"-ETS I'VE EVER SEEN."

Pan looked at him, and then the chair, and then thought about it.

She slowly raised it higher.

"HER PEOPLE SKILLS, DAMMIT. Jeez…" Pan took a seat, scrutinizing eyes locked on as he kept going. "It takes a special sort of person to bring out the best in allies and enemies alike, and she does it not with any weird innate abilities, but with her own charm. That, I'll admit freely."

To his relief, Pan softened. "Isn't that a weird, innate ability in itself?" she beamed.

With a proud nod, Trunks started compiling the files. "From the sound of it, the RESET-MET's a success, despite its many hiccups." He closed the briefcase. "And this batch of students, possibly the one with the most collective potential we've seen since maybe Toki-Toki City!

"I wouldn't go THAT far!"

"Right, right," Trunks chuckled. "But it can't go understated… while a few still need ironing out, I've got nothing but confidence in those that are ready to set out into history and maintain spacetime's balance!"

"... and what of the two finalists?" asked Vegeta.

Trunks stopped in place, as if stumped.

"With all the consideration you've placed into all those before them, will you really do something as simple as handing the winner or, hell, both finalists an instant promotion?"

The senior kaioshin swayed his head. Son's brows lifted ever slightly.

"... the final exam will start this evening." He turned with a grin, one dripping with a manic confidence the likes of which not even Frieza had seen before. "And I plan on a special guest to make her appearance, one way or another." He walked off.

"A tournament finale, a final exam, a first patrol, and a 'show of force.' All~ in~ one~."

The other three's gazes slowly reset to the center of the room.

"... what the hell did THAT mean?" Elder Kai asked.

Vegeta's eyes slowly widened. "He couldn't…!"

"Please don't tell me we're ALL gonna start playing the cryptic game," Pan moaned.

Trunks continued to stroll down the steps, eyes on the young sun's rays incinerating the violet dark pervading the sky. "(If demons have a way of getting out... That means there's a chance. Somehow, some way...)"

He smiled a hopeful smile. "(We'll hold down the fort, until that day. Just try not to keep us waiting!)"

SOMEWHERE ELSE...

"Hm-!"

A hand rose above and slammed into the ridged cliffside's summit.

Up leapt a man in a flowing red-and black gi, with spiky hair like a palm tree and a crimson-gold bo staff. "Wooh! This miasma junk's like nothin' on Earth!" he panted, opening and closing his fists with a victorious smile. The skyscape he beheld phased in and out of itself, three worlds in a volatile, messy collision like cosmic glass melting and attempting to self-heal without avail.

"Is there a reason you couldn't just fly like the rest of us, you simpleton?" asked a dark blue-haired demon woman in a fittingly-demonic secretary's outfit, emblazoned with an R on its belt. "Must you waste our time?"

The man grinned. "Well, if you're just gonna use us to fix up yer world, I figure why not get some extra training in while I'm here?"

"Hmph..." the demoness shrugged. "You're only prolonging your stay. But by all means, do as you will."

The cliffside's ten thousand-meter face suddenly exploded, hit by the back-blast of two bodies surging forward.

"WHY THAT...!"

"H-HE-HE-HEH, impatient as always, eh!?"

"AAAAH- DAMN IT!" exclaimed a third body further ahead — a smaller, red-headed, red-robed demon boy, throwing down his crossed arms. "WHAT'S THE POINT OF A TRUCE IF YOU'RE THIS INSISTENT ON KILLING ALL OF YOUR ALLIES!?"

The first high-speed projectile, a grey feminine body beneath an assortment of pastel clothing, blew the loudest raspberry imaginable. "I CAN'T HELP YOU'RE WEAK, BUT I CAN STOP YOU FROM WASTING MY TIME! STOP BEING MY PROBLEM IF YOU WANNA LIVE LONGER, BILBO!"

"AND WHAT EVER THE HELL IT IS, I AM NOT A BILBO!"

The Majin snickered, before noticing just how many millimeters the second projectile was gaining on her. "Any chance you're gonna tell me with your big boy voice why we're going along with this shit instead of wringing out everything we need from these idiots and leaving?"

She flew right beside a masculine, crimson dagger-haired body beneath a cloak.

"Even now, you'd still lend credence to a word I say...? You damned... monkey brute..."

[ ED: Lapis Lazuli – Private Emotion ]

His shaky, black eyes focused single-mindedly in one direction.

Her blues rolled. "Of course..."

The quintet flew into the current again.

"Another pointless fucking errand run with Mr. Mute n' Moron..."

12/7/2024 UPDATE: Added more nuance to (or clarified, depending on how you see it) Trunks' confusion with the Demon Realm.

Yo! OP Here!

So here's my ham-fisted attempt at a recap chapter. The STEP-KAI idea fell through because there would've been no flow between chapters, and that was setting things off in my brain that I ain't like. So I made it... this.

To make a personal TL;DR for myself,

Tenganosu, Dumdum, Mei, Neoru and Dina both made it to Assistant Patroller.

Selaine, Konus, Archi and LIITA-MAN are RIIIIIGHT there, just a few things about them need to be remediated.

Renchiru's showing was just sorta bad. He got three solid hits on Kora before she beat the fathomless brakes off him, and it somehow got worse for him. He's stuck in the same rut that everyone who lost in the elimination blocks is in — a Patroller's gonna have to send in a good word after he's been a Junior for long enough.

Akaki's situation is weird; he quals in every regard, but he's literally as suspicious as Kazikum by pure virtue of no one other than Kora, Archi and Kao-rin having any solid idea of who he really is and what he really wants.

Kaza and Kazikum are security risks, Kaza MUCH MORE so than Kazikum thanks to Muara. They have to prove they're good for it through more time and more eyes on them. No one's denying they have the power, it's just the potential for them to be misled or... y'know... demon gods in themselves. That needs to be disproven beyond reasonable doubt for them to progress.

Bukyu ain't even a Junior Patroller right now, he's literally too unstable right now. And this is after Dumdum's help.

So that's that. We're actually, ACTUALLY going into the Demon Realm next chapter (which is why I couldn't bring myself to make a disconnected chapter this time), so I'll give a brief overview of what we're in for.

I threw Daima and Heroes into a blender and added the LEGIT concept of chaos embodied for a new, "third" Demon World. Think of the Daima aspect as Good-most-of-the-time (think of Yaoguai or Djinn, i.e. a fair amount good, a fair amount bad) aspect, Heroes as the Dark Demon World (i.e. generic bad-bad except sometimes) aspect, and the STEP-Original as the "Yin and Yang in an endless turbine going at Mach Fuck" aspect — the big three words over there are "intrusive," "spontaneous," and "paradox."

I MIGHT BE CRAZY ENOUGH TO-

Alright, GOATed Survive Said the Prophet songs aside, that's the plan. The plot is gonna involve that one guy that fucked up Toki Toki City suffering the consequences of holding the human equivalent of a 3000-rad Gamma Blade, and development for Ace, Puddin, and Robelu in the meantime. Goku is static because he's already perfect. Say something.

Aight, uh, fairly important event that just happened: Dragon Ball is now 40 years old! That's awesome. Still standing the test of time, and easily at that, except for Roshi's shit, of course. But other than that, as beautiful as the day I met 'em.

So yeah. That's honestly about it. Happy about the chapter and the banter between the four. The chapter after this shhhhould be the Finals, and everything after that will be filling in gaps between STEP and STEPZ while I maybe work on the latter! I also wanna branch off into the godless wasteland known as Archive of Our Own later on, with both STEPZ and this one.

Until then, see ya!