A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Loved all of them so much.
And now without further ado, here's an extra-long chapter for you! A lot of awesome, action-packed and heart-wrenching moments here, so I hope y'all enjoy it and really feel the feels!
Chapter 65: No more tears
"I must say, Vegeta pulling through from an injury that severe, was nothing short of extraordinary, if not miraculous." Master Roshi frowned pensively behind his red-rimmed shades, pressing up the curvaceous bridge against the apex of his nose. "That boy's as resilient as it gets, though it goes without saying. Those Saiyans truly are an incredible bunch."
"Yeah and now Piccolo's tearing Cell to pieces!" Yamcha grinned euphorically, muscled figure quaking with jubilant excitement. "Things are really looking good, right about now!"
"I'd say this definitely calls for a celebration." The elderly warrior turned his prurient gaze towards the blue-haired scientist, a routinely debauched expression plastering itself on his jaunty, geriatric features. "What do you say, Bulma? How about you finally give this old man some sweet lovin'? Hehehehehe."
Bulma sighed and rolled her eyes, not the least bit surprised by his perpetual perversity.
"You wanna take this one, Launch?"
"With pleasure." The zesty blonde grinned like a Cheshire cat and promptly opened fire. For the next ten minutes, Roshi was nowhere to be seen.
Meanwhile, Chi-Chi was fretting, the raven-haired mother's tempestuous heart pounding hard with anxious apprehension. Gohan should've been back by now! What the hell was going on?! Why did that unruly child have to take after his obtuse oaf of a father?! Why couldn't they just be a normal family?! Goku promised he wouldn't let their sweet boy get mixed up in any drama, so where was he?! Bulma took notice of the younger woman's dreadful dismay and knew exactly what had her nerves meandering about, in a fluttering frenzy. She cautiously traipsed over to her.
"Hey Chi-Chi, relax." The heiress murmured, tentatively placing her hands on her friend's shaky arms and rubbing them up and down. "Gohan's gonna be fine. He's tougher than any kid I ever knew- well, aside from my gorgeous little Trunks of course hehe."
"That's not the point!" The Ox Princess hysterically hissed, grabbing Bulma by the lapels of her orange vest. "He's supposed to be in here studying, not out there fighting! He has a bright future ahead of him, which doesn't involve putting his life on the line, every time there's danger on the horizon! It's horrible enough with my idiot husband throwing himself in the fire pit every so often, but now my baby has to jump in there too?! Just how much more of this am I supposed to take?!"
"I hear you Chi-Chi, I'm pretty much in the same position as you are." Bulma soothed, tactfully wrapping her hands around the other woman's invasive wrists. "Having a Saiyan family is far from easy, I know that first-hand." She paused for a moment, steeling her gaze. "But it's what we chose. And I for one, don't regret it one bit. Do you?"
"Of course not!" Chi-Chi fervidly fired back. "I love Goku with all my heart and I can't stand the thought of losing him or Gohan, not again." At this point she was almost in tears, dark eyes glistening. "Do you even realize how painful it was the first time?! I still have nightmares about it!"
"Right, I get it but all this worrying isn't gonna solve anything, okay?" Bulma evenly replied, sympathizing deeply with the raven-haired Princess. "Besides, just a short while ago, I really did think I'd lost Vegeta." She released a pained sigh, heart staggering at the awful memory and face downcast as she softly continued. "I know how much it hurts, Chi-Chi. Believe me."
Chi-Chi regarded her friend for a few moments and soon afterwards, her fiery expression went lax.
"Hey, it's okay Bulma." She placed her hands on her friend's shoulders in a supporting gesture, smiling reverently. "I'm certainly no fan of Vegeta's, but I know he means something to you and I never want you to experience pain like that, ever." She candidly spoke. The heiress lifted her head in a strained smile before setting her sheeny azure eyes back to the oaken floorboard, still caught up in the harrowing recollection of her beloved Saiyan's brush with death. "Regardless of what I think about him, I want you to be happy." Chi-Chi tightened her grasp on the other woman's shoulders. "I owe you so much Bulma, for everything."
The blue-haired scientists perked up at that, shaking her head in contention.
"Come on Chi-Chi, you don't owe me any-"
"Of course I do." The Ox Princess gently, yet forcefully interjected. "You've saved us more often than I can count and you even built a time-machine to warn us about the Androids. You brought Goku the heart medicine and without it, he wouldn't even be alive. I can't possibly thank you enough."
"Well, technically that was an alternate version of me but hey, it's my pleasure." She benignly replied, smile broadening and brightening, her distressing memories all but forgotten. "Goku's like family to me and so are you. I'd do just about anything for you guys."
"Oh cry me a river, you two." Launch sneered, rolling her forest-green eyes.
"Hey, like you're one to talk." Bulma goaded, turning towards the blonde sociopath with a teasing grin. "When we thought Tien was a goner, you practically looked like a zombie."
"Well, at least I didn't cry like you did, with your furball baby-daddy!" Launch shot back.
"Shut up, psycho!"
"You shut up, crybaby!"
"Both of you shut up!" To the utmost surprise of the two females, the intruding voice belonged to none other than Yamcha. Strange, seeing as he'd never before had the spine to address any of them in such a brusque manner. Perhaps fatherhood changed a man. "Seriously, there's no time for this crap." He vehemently insisted. "Our lives hang in the balance right now, so please, let's just focus on what's important okay?"
"Fair enough." Bulma let out a sigh of surrender. A year or two ago, she would've given him an earful for daring to speak to her that way, but perhaps motherhood had changed her too.
"Did you just tell me to shut up?!" Launch asked in a slow, frighteningly calm voice, glaring death at the ex-bandit, who subsequently blanched in absolute horror. The blonde promptly pulled out her submachine-gun and began spraying her scar-faced target with a blistering barrage of belligerent bullets, whereby he took after his master and flitted the premises.
"Launch, you're so crazy, I swear!" Bulma practically collapsed on the other woman in a hysterical gale of laughter, head on shoulder and arms wrapped around her neck. "My God, you'll never change." Launch's erratic behaviour always whisked her mind back to the old times, when things were so much simpler. Oh how she missed those blissful days.
"Damn right." The wanted-woman smirked, blowing the smoking barrel of her semi-automatic weapon.
'Gohan, you better be okay, I swear to God.' Chi-Chi pressed a hand against her chest, still on edge, but feeling somewhat placated after Bulma's succour. Just as the heiress had pointed out, they were both in the same boat, with their loved ones at the forefront of battle. The raven-haired Princess prayed that all of them made it back in one piece, even Vegeta whom she eminently despised, if only for Bulma's sake.
XXXX
'Piccolo's amazing!' A jubilant Krillin gleefully thought to himself, profoundly positive that the colossal powerhouse of a Namekian would be able to pull through and finally purge this malignant menace that threatened the well-being of the entire cosmos.
"Makosen Ha!" The green giant yelled, blasting Cell to the dirt. He promptly lunged downwards and jammed his knee right into the grounded monster's spine, eliciting a sharp cry of pain.
"Damn you Piccolo!" The frustrated insectoid grit his teeth as involuntary tears of agony, dripped down his eyelids. "Damn you to hell!"
"You first, bastard!" The Namekian rejoined, punting him back up into the air and firing a Ki blast that struck him square in the face. At this point, Cell was practically putty in his hands. A prudent voice in the back of his mind urged him to finish this posthaste, as opposed to toying with his dastardly foe and while he was somewhat inclined to listen to it, the greater part of him wanted Cell to suffer just a tad more, for all the pain and misery he'd caused. And so he charged upwards and began pummelling the living life out of the biomechanical menace. A knife-hand to the neck almost ripped Cell's head clean off his body. He definitely felt that one.
"Take this!" The insectoid fired a gigantic wave of Ki from his mouth, which Piccolo was able to deflect with little effort. His monstrous adversary was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. The Namekian dashed forward and dug his elbow right into Cell's solar-plexus, whereby the monster's eyes bulged out of his sockets. He almost felt like puking, not knowing how much more punishment he could possibly take. Cell breathed raggedly for several seconds, before looking up at Piccolo with a bitter snarl, expression laced with unabated vitriol.
"I HATE YOU!" He roared to the top of his voice, a turbulent purplish aura flaring around his bristled figure.
"No, you just hate losing." The green giant contemptuously replied, lip curling up in sheer revulsion. "All this time, you've been used to getting your way, brutalizing those who're weaker than you and reaping pleasure from all the needless suffering you create. Now that you're up against someone who's immensely superior to you in every conceivable way, someone who refuses to be bullied and intimidated, you can't handle it, can you?" He spat sideways. "Well that only goes to show that just like Frieza, in spite of all your power, deep down you're just a weak and insecure coward. And that's something that'll never change, no matter who you absorb or how strong you become."
Cell's rage soared with each new insult. How dare this inferior parasite speak to him this way?! He was the ultimate being, the epitome of perfection! If only he had a little more time to search out Eighteen, he could claim her and finally ascend to his true form. Then he would make this filthy Namekian slug, swallow his asinine words!
Piccolo landed a double axe-handle atop his opponent's navy-blue crest, sending him nosediving yet again. Cell was able to land on all fours atop a tapering inselberg, breaths laborious. There was nothing left to do, no maneuver left to curb the unanticipated hailstorm of his insurmountable adversary- at least those were his thoughts, until his line of sight suddenly revealed a serendipitous spectacle that was indeed most welcoming. An evil smile tugged across his foul features, a steady stream of saliva, hungrily dribbling down the corner of his mouth. Licking his purple, parched lips, he dashed forward without a moment's delay, ready to seize what was rightfully his.
"Shit, he's spotted us!" Eighteen exclaimed, glacial eyes agape and heart-rate spiking in panic and terror. She looked towards her large comrade. "Come on Sixteen, we need to go!"
"I cannot." He shook his head, teeth grit. "I will only slow you down. You must leave me!"
"But-"
"GO NOW!" The gigantic Android yelled at her and with great difficulty, he stood to his feet, protectively positioning himself in front of his comrade, fists by his side.
Piccolo narrowed his eyes as he saw Cell depart. At first he thought the monster was attempting to flee with his tail between his legs, but a more discerning look revealed something far worse. "No!" The Namekian zoomed forward at full speed, desperately determined to stop Cell in his tracks.
"Hey Cell, why don't you try this one on for size?!" An unexpected voice boomed, a little ways away. "Kienzan!"
The monster tilted his head leftwards, only to see a spinning saucer of flaxen Ki hurtling towards him fast. Just under the wire, he halted his trek to avoid being sliced in half, however as was the case in his battle with Vegeta, he was unable to save his meaty tail from being severed. "Bastard!" Howling in excruciation, he saw red and leapt straight towards the audacious bald midget, who'd dared to meddle with his plans. Where'd he come from anyway?! It was as though these pests were slipping up out of nowhere, like cockroaches! Damn them all! Before he could reach his destination, however, Piccolo blocked his path and the instant he saw the green giant, he didn't dare move an inch further, knowing that this was a foe that he couldn't overcome- at least, not as of yet.
"Good work, Krillin." The Namekian praised his diminutive colleague, letting out a hefty breath of relief. "I'm not exactly sure what brought you here, but whatever it is, I'm glad. That was much too close. If you hadn't pulled that off, I might not have reached him in time."
"Hey, anytime big guy." The bald warrior earnestly nodded, glad to have done his part, however little that may have been. His distaste for Gero's putrid abomination ran deeper than ever.
'So close, goddamn it I was so close!' The monster cursed inwardly.
"It seems you've run out of tricks now." Piccolo sneered at his fuming foe. "You're not gonna be absorbing anyone today, Cell! Not on my watch!" Yet again, he assumed his stance. "It's time for you to meet your maker."
XXXX
"Eighteen, please you must go." Sixteen pleaded, down below. "Cell is unpredictable. Your presence here endangers not only yourself, but everyone on the planet. If he acquires you, no one can possibly stop him, not even Piccolo."
"Calm down, big guy." Eighteen reassuringly smirked back at him. "I mean yeah, for a second there I was worried, but it looks like everything's under control now." She couldn't help but look at the little bald human, in pure veneration. For a fighter with such a measly power level, it must've taken a hell of a lot of courage to stand up to Cell and he deserved all the credit in the world for that. If it weren't for his valiant intervention, she could very well have been insect fodder by now. The same was the case with the three-eyed warrior Tien Shinhan, not to mention Vegeta. Perhaps mortals weren't so bad. After all, she was one until that twisted creep Dr. Gero stole away her humanity, right along with her brother's. It was thoughts of her cybernetic twin that made her clench her jaw and square her feet in deadset determination, glaring hatefully at the vile creature responsible for his demise. "Besides, after what Cell did to Seventeen, I wanna see an end to that cocksucker with my own eyes."
"That is very unwise Eighteen." The large robot shook his head, askance. "I urge you to reconsider. Please."
"Sorry, no can do big fella." The blonde grinned, any semblance of reason overruled by her vindictive desire to bear witness as Cell was torn to ribbons.
XXXX
"Krillin just jumped in, didn't he?!" Gohan anxiously asked.
"Yeah it looks like it." His father disconcertedly nodded, himself deeply concerned about the wellbeing of his dwarfish friend. "This isn't good. If Cell gets his hands on Krillin, he'll use him as a hostage and-"
"Enough of this!" The three-eyed fighter scowled at his ex-rival. "Stop treating us like a bunch of laymen, just because we're human! We have a responsibility to defend this planet just as much as you do, so I don't care what you say! Krillin did the right thing period!"
"It's not that, Tien." Goku placidly argued. "I'd say the same thing if any one of us were in his position, including myself. Let's face it: we're not strong enough to take on Cell yet. We'd only get in the way."
"Sorry Goku, but I wholeheartedly disagree." The former crane disciple huffed and folded his arms in resentment. "I for one am sick of lounging around and letting everyone else fight my battles for me. I know we're not anywhere near as strong as you, Piccolo or Vegeta, but we have as much at stake in this as any of you. We're all in this together."
"Tien's right, dad." The half-breed boy fervently insisted. "Of all the great battles we've won, none of them would've ended well, without everyone giving it their all. Heck, if it weren't for Tien, Cell would've gotten his way already." He adopted a more solicitous tone, as he went on. "I worry about Krillin too, but he's in it to win it, just like the rest of us."
The three-eyed warrior smiled reverently at Gohan, really taking a liking to the young demi-Saiyan prodigy. Though not even an adolescent, he was certainly wise beyond his years. One day, Gohan would make a great leader and when that day came, he would be honored to stand behind him in any battle.
"I- I get what you're both saying." Goku ground his teeth together in frustration. "It's just- I feel terrible, knowing that Krillin's out there fighting, while I'm up here watching. I just- I just wish there was something I could do."
"The best thing you can do Goku, is to remain right here." Mr. Popo emphatically replied. "You have a responsibility over Gohan. Without you, he cannot achieve his full potential and something tells me, we'll all be needing it more than ever."
"I know." Earth's hero sighed in resignation, shoulders slumping. It wasn't until today that he truly realized how terrible it was to be lodged in the back-seat. Only now did he understand what the rest of his comrades must have felt like, for years. And it was a feeling that was far from pleasant.
"Hey, lighten up Goku." Tien smiled, placing a firm hand on the Saiyan's shoulder. "If I came off a little aggressive, I apologize. It's not what I meant." He earnestly continued. "You saved my life and I can't thank you enough for it. And as much as I dislike Vegeta, he's proven himself to be a great ally and you saved him too." (A/N: Refer to Chapter 63)
"Hey, I'd do anything for my friends, you know that." Goku smiled back, ebony eyes gleaming.
"Yeah, I know."
XXXX
Two weeks of arduous training within the eery expanse of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had left a certain royal pair significantly stronger than they were before they'd entered the boundless dimension. After a particularly gruelling sparring session, father and son sat down together, engaged in a rather one-sided conversation- at least it was one-sided until Trunks had somehow spurred his old man into recounting the awe-inspiring, cataclysmic events that had materialized on the Planet Namek and forever shaped the history of the entire Universe, for the better.
"Wow, that's quite a story." The ensorcelled young Prince remarked, deeply marvelled. Though Goku had briefly informed him of what had transpired since his arrival on the lush green planet, he hadn't known the broader context up until now. "But there's one thing I don't understand." He frowned inquisitively. "You said you used the Oozaru form against Frieza, but why didn't you use it earlier against the Ginyu Force, if you knew they were too much to handle?" (A/N: Refer to Chapter 27)
"It was my only other trump-card besides the Dragon Balls, that's why." The flame-haired Saiyan explained. "If Frieza's lackeys caught wind, he'd quickly learn about it and I'd no longer have the element of surprise up my sleeve. But more importantly, once a Saiyan regresses from the Oozaru form back to his base form, he is unable to transform for another three days."
"I see." Trunks set his eyes low. A brief pause followed, before the young demi-Saiyan lifted his gaze. "Then why not stay Oozaru?"
"It drains your power and the longer you use it, the less control you have over it." Vegeta succinctly answered. "Even for a super-elite like myself, it's difficult to retain consciousness in that form for more than a few hours."
"But that's no longer the case, is it?" The half-Saiyan smirked. "You can control it now, like you did against Goku in the World Martial-Arts Tournament." (A/N: Refer to Chapter 55)
The Prince narrowed his eyes, gazing upon the tiled floor. That was a question he'd been asking himself for the longest time, but it wasn't in regards to the primal form. He recalled the brief verbal exchange he had with his younger rival, soon after the latter had intrepidly rescued him from Cell:
"I was less than a second away from finishing off that fucking cockroach!" Vegeta peevishly growled. "This whole Super Saiyan transformation is unreliable, if it can't even last long enough."
"Well, make it last." Goku argued. "You've still got time. I'll bring Trunks over here and once Piccolo exits the time chamber, you two can go inside and get all the training you need." (A/N: Refer to Chapter 63)
'Make it last, huh?' He mused inwardly. Perhaps that was the key here. Although he and Trunks had by now ascended past the standard Super Saiyan form, there was an obscure feeling lingering in the back of his mind, telling him that there was a much greater power lurking somewhere deep beneath the surface, just waiting to be unearthed. But tapping into that gaping well was damn near impossible. By his measure, not even a year's worth of training would likely be enough for him to reach the end goal of such a painstakingly difficult journey. A thought suddenly struck him and he promptly turned his ebony eyes towards his son's future counterpart. Yes, there was enormous potential in the boy, potential that was significantly greater than his own. As of yet, Trunks was nowhere close to his power level, but perhaps if he invested more effort into his training that could change.
"What is it, father?" The teen raised his brows, as the Prince closely appraised him.
"Change of plan." Vegeta tersely announced. "We're no longer using that muscled Super Saiyan form." (A/N: Officially called Super Saiyan Second Grade)
"What?!" Trunks exclaimed, shocked by the abrupt decision. "But why?! That form's so powerful! With it, even I can easily defeat both the Androids and Cell!"
"That means nothing!" The flame-haired Saiyan brusquely snapped. "What about the next adversary or the one after that?! Haven't you learned a damn thing, after all this time?! When Kakarot and I became Super Saiyans, we had every reason to remain idle and assume that nothing could possibly stand in our way and yet we didn't! If you place a limit upon yourself, you'll remain stuck within the confines of that limit and never grow out of it!"
"Fine, fine, I get it!" Trunks huffed in frustration. "But that form's still the best thing we have so far. I don't see what's wrong with it."
"Tch Of course, you don't." Vegeta disdainfully spat. "You seek out the easiest path and then pursue that path, closing yourself off to anything outside of it. You still have the mind of a child."
"You know, I don't understand what you get out of insulting me all the time." Trunks seethed in resentment, baring his teeth. "Why don't you just get to the point already?"
"My point is that that form significantly drains your energy." The Prince explained. "I hadn't considered it before, but something Kakarot said, really had me thinking." He creased his brows pensively, face downcast.
"So- uh- what was was it that he said?" Trunks queried, after a short period of silence.
"Something about making the Super Saiyan form last." He rejoined. "If one is able to control that form to the extent that it becomes as normal as breathing, there may be a possibility of opening an avenue to an even more powerful form, one that puts that muscled mess to shame."
"Are you sure about that?" The lavender-haired Saiyan asked dubiously.
"Of course I'm sure!" The Prince growled at him and he immediately winced and sealed his mouth. He should've known by now never to doubt any assertion that came from his short-tempered father. "Now listen closely." Vegeta gravely instructed, shifting himself closer to his son. "From now on, we're going to remain in our Super Saiyan form at all times."
Trunks was about to object, but then thought better of it.
"Even when we eat and sleep, we'll do so as Super Saiyans." Vegeta enjoined. "If you follow my instructions to the letter, without doubt, without hesitation and without question, then by the time we leave this place, you will have easily surpassed me."
The lavender-haired Saiyan felt his breath hitch, baffled beyond words. Were his ears deceiving him somehow?! There's no way he could possibly surpass his legendary father!
"Concentrate!" The older Prince's irate voice snapped him out of his daze. The half-breed boy blinked at him for a moment, before finding his voice again.
"S-S-Surpass y-you?!" He stared at him dumbly. "But how?! You're way stronger than I am!"
"For now, yes." Vegeta bobbed his head. "But that needs to change." He got to his feet, walking a short distance away, back facing the younger Prince. A brief pause followed, before he spoke up. "I don't know if your mother knew this, but in over a thousand years, there wasn't a single pure-blooded Saiyan who was born with a power level that could match my own."
"Really?" The teen's eyes widened, a strong sensation of pride running over him. He couldn't say he was surprised though. This man was nothing short of extraordinary, beyond words. "That's amazing!"
"Yes." The flame-haired Saiyan gravely nodded. Another short lapse of silence followed. "When you were still in your mother's womb, however, you had already surpassed my power level at birth."
"Wh-What?!" To say that Trunks was flabbergasted by that little newsflash, would've been a gross understatement.
"You and Gohan both, have latent abilities that're far greater than those of Kakarot, myself or any other pure-blooded Saiyan in all of history." Vegeta solemnly pronounced.
Trunks gaped at him a moment, before the name of his late, great mentor brought with it a tragic slew of heart-wrenching memories.
"And yet, I couldn't take down the Androids in my timeline." He grit his teeth, beset with resentful indignation at the countless losses he'd suffered, throughout the course of his wretched existence. "Our world got destroyed, all because I wasn't strong enough. I failed." He let out a heavy, dolorous sigh. "Gohan died because of me."
An uncomfortable silence ensued, not even a glance exchanged between father and son for an entire minute or so. The Prince felt his eye twitch, as his mind ventured towards the abysmal dystopia that was the future world. If things had been different, their family would've still been intact and none but a handful would've had to die. He thought of Gohan, the prodigious son of his rustic rival. Despite their rocky beginnings when he'd first arrived on Earth as a would-be conqueror, for some odd reason or other, the boy had come to idolize and venerate him greatly, seeing in him an iconic hero to be revered, as opposed to a bloodthirsty villain to be reviled, which he had been, for almost all his life. He grimaced, expression contorting with something akin to remorse as he thought of the child-warrior's future counterpart, who'd fostered Trunks, trained him relentlessly, endured years of pain and hardship and died miserably, at the hands of the Androids. None of it would've happened, if it weren't for the drastic decision that his own alter-ego had made. His son wouldn't have had to grow up in an apocalyptic hell-hole, wrought with death, destruction and desolation.
"It was I who failed you." Vegeta finally voiced his reply. His back was still turned on Trunks. "Had I not rushed into battle and gotten myself killed, things might not have played out for the worst. Had I been there for you and Kakarot's boy, the Androids wouldn't had their way for long." An unpleasant tremor racked through his strapping figure, voice cracking just a tad, despite all his efforts at remaining stoic. "Neither you nor Gohan should have had to bear this responsibility to begin with- at least, not by yourselves."
Gifted as they were, without a guiding hand to point them in the right direction, the two half-Saiyans were unable to salvage the true depths of their latent power, especially when both were so young and inexperienced. And then there was the matter of Cell, the cursed abomination that murdered his son in cold-blood, in yet another future-timeline-turned-to-hell.
"Father." Trunks murmured, a powerful surge of emotions stirring about within the hollows of his chest and steadily springing towards the surface. In all the time he'd known him, he never would've imagined his father being so open-hearted and so- shaken up. It touched him to the very core.
Involuntary tears welled up in his aquamarine eyes, as he thought about all that could've been, had his father survived in his home world. They would've been a family: Mother, father, Gohan and himself. One family: Safe, sound and happy, not having to spend every living moment in hiding, wondering whether or not it was going to be their last. It was the dream he'd never dreamt of: A world without fear and pain, a world without tears and sorrow, a perfect world. If only-
A firm hand grasped his shoulder, suddenly jolting him out of his wistful thoughts.
"No more tears." Vegeta firmly ordered, his stony expression belied only by the intense wave of emotions flooding within his own deep, dark, obsidian eyes. "A Prince does not cry."
"R-Right." Trunks sniffled, mortified at the streaming rivulets trickling down his eyelids, but hardly able to help it. He quickly wiped away his tears, with the back of his gloved hand. "Sorry- father."
"A Prince does not apologize either." The flame-haired Saiyan tightened his grip on his son's shoulder, narrowing his ebony eyes. "He learns from his mistakes, conquers his fears and overcomes all those who stand between him and his destiny." A short pause ensued. "I lost my mother and my home planet, Trunks and yet I never faltered once, from my quest to destroy Frieza. You still have both." He intensified his gaze. "You understand what I'm telling you?"
"Y-Yes father." He let out a heavy, wavering breath. "I understand." Even with nothing left to fight for, his father had taken a firm stand against the-then most powerful being in the Universe. He, on the other hand, still had something to fight for. He had a responsibility over all the disarrayed fragments that were left of his shattered world, to safeguard them and to build a new life with them, a better life. He needed to forge his own dream, instead of pining over what could never be, a father he could never have. And he would do just that, when the time was right. But it wouldn't end there. The purple-haired warrior was determined to pass on a legacy that would ensure everlasting peace and security, a legacy that would never allow heartless monsters like Seventeen, Eighteen and Cell to lay ruin upon the lives of so many. No one would ever have to experience the horror and agony that he'd experienced.
"Good, now clear your mind and get some rest." Vegeta enjoined, voice even. "We start again tomorrow."
"Yes, father." Trunks smiled radiantly, whereby his father's heart froze. That smile, it was just like hers, the one who was stolen away from him, when he was only four years old, the only person he truly cared for until Bulma came into his life: his mother, the last Queen of the Saiyan race (A/N: Refer to Chapter 24).
He growled inwardly and shook those thoughts out of his head. He needed to stay focused on the here and now. Just as he'd told Trunks, the past could not be changed. It was the future that mattered.
"Go on." The older Prince gestured towards the bedroom and the lavender-haired teen nodded and headed there, hoping that come morning he could sharpen his focus and live up to his father's enormous expectations. There was no room for regret or remorse, only ambition and action to ensure that future generations would never have to suffer the sorrows of their predecessors. His timeline may never be like this one, but he would still try his damnedest to make the very best of it- and he would succeed.
A/N: Oh boy, Cell seems to be in quite a bit of a pickle, doesn't he? Will our boy Piccolo finish him off or will he manage to cheat death and get his way, yet again? Only time will tell. What of Vegeta and Trunks? It seems the bond between father and son has grown ever-closer. Will their training truly be for the best? Find out next time and until then, please leave your thoughts and hit the review button!
p.s. Really loved writing the time-chamber scenes, the battle scenes and also the ladies at Kame House. People often despise Chi-Chi, but this chapter takes a closer look at her psyche and why she acts the way she does, as most mothers would tbh. Also, Vegeta and Trunks not taking their canonical route of the Super Saiyan Grade 2/3 must've come as a surprise to many, huh? xD I hope you loved that!
On a separate note I would like to address a previous guest critique that caught my eye, regarding the final tournament battle between Goku and Vegeta (Chapter 55): It's important to understand that attacks are far more effective when your opponent is blindsided (e.g. in the canon, Majin Vegeta knocked out SSJ2 Goku with a simple double-axe handle, while his back was turned). It's also important to note that whilst Goku was a lot more exhausted than Vegeta, Vegeta wasn't entirely fresh either. The Kaio-Ken x20 attacks and the battle itself had worn him out significantly as well, so it's entirely plausible that a powerful attack to his unguarded rear would have such an effect. Vegeta was dominating the fight, but made the mistake of underestimating Goku and was literally defeated by the only technique that he hadn't been prepared for. It was a very important lesson for him, helped him develop a greater sense of caution/awareness and as you aptly pointed out, made the rivalry less one-sided (since they're currently tied at 1-1).
Secondly, your point about Goku remaining in Kami's lookout during the fight between Vegeta, Android Seventeen and Cell in Chapter 61/62: What you have to understand is that Goku was the backup plan here, the failsafe in case things turned for the worst. If both he and Vegeta fell, all hope would be lost, so at least one of them needed to steer clear of the action, while the other was engaged in battle. And seeing as how Vegeta was slightly more powerful at that specific point in time and also knew the Androids' weaknesses, he seemed like the better candidate for taking the reins. Anyway, thanks for the honest reviews and I'm glad you enjoyed the story!
Also wanted to address a review from Evil Morty; Yes, you are correct and in fact, kudos for being the first to point out the key difference between this Mirai Trunks and the canonical Mirai Trunks! If you really think about it, his behaviour is more reflective of the way he was before his mentor Gohan's death. Correct, the canonical version is wiser, maturer, calmer and better tempered, however, I didn't make him that way, because I wanted him to glean these characteristics from the examples of Vegeta and Goku (and to some extent, even the younger Gohan). But great catch and thanks for reviewing!
Lastly, big shout out to Flameraven for the suggestion of Krillin's Kienzan! That was one heck of an idea, thanks so much! :D
That said, I wish you all well and look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter! Till next time, peace out! :D