1 Chapter 1: Real Life

*sigh*

'Fucking…why? Of all places.'

I sighed, pondering how my second chance at life became this complicated.

As I looked outside my window, I stood on a stool so that I could get a greater view of the far-off mountain ranges. What had made me want to stare far into the distance aimlessly? Because I needed to be grounded to reality and this was a practice for me doing so. The past 4 years had felt like I had be trapped in a bazaar dream.

Since commonsense told me that dreaming for that amount of time was impossible, I came to terms with this strange life, but no matter if it had been 4 or even 10 years, the fact that I had transferred realities and had abandoned all my friends and family would probably still weigh on my consciousness.

The sky was gray and murky while the atmosphere was grim and dreary. I could smell a storm coming.

"Trunks!"

A woman's slightly irritated voice rang in my ears and echoed throughout my room, but I ignored it just like I did for the past 3 times.

I didn't usually ignore the woman. Today, I just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Maybe it was the change of seasons, but I was feeling incredibly depressed. But I guess it was normal for people to feel that way from time to time.

Perhaps, my pessimistic views on were just getting the better of me today, but when I woke up, I just felt like something was off.

Reflecting on my day, I accounted for my feelings having something to do it with the news stories I woke up to. On top of missing home, maybe my this was just a snow ball effect of things that I was feeling.

Maybe that was it.

Compared to my previous world, I would have much rather gone back to the factory where I had to submit myself to back-breaking labor for measly pay day-to-day. At least there, I didn't have to worry about the planet exploding. At least there, I had friends that I could vent my issues to.

Unlike here, there, I had feasible objectives like one day becoming rich because I invested in the right stocks and got lucky. Maybe I could have taken up music and became a celebrity. My life wouldn't have been in jeopardy then, which couldn't be said for my current situation.

"Trunks! I know you hear me. I just installed those speakers in your room. If you broke them, that's coming out of your allowance, you little bastard."

Still dismissing her, I put on my earphones and listened to some Yuuri, one of my favorite artists currently.

'This life… This timeline, out of all of them, why did I have to arrive at this one? The one with all of the main characters dead.'

I took another deep breath, calming myself. It wasn't like I was regular in this world. As opposed to the previous world, I was born into money. I had the means to survive. It was just going to be extremely difficult to lead a life of leisure if I didn't fight tooth and nail for it in the literal and metaphorical sense.

'There is Gohan… But I don't know about him. So far, I haven't even seen a picture. The only reason confirmation of his existence I know of is all of the stories I've heard these past years.'

Gohan usually wasn't on my mind, but today… was a weird day where I had weird thoughts.

In this world I was born into, psychotic cyborgs created by a mad scientist by the name of Doctor Maki Gero, had turned the literal earth into a crime rampant war zone.

Every week, people in the 10's were killed in cold blood by them as the causally toured new places they had never been. They would steal and kill with no ramifications. If authorities ever tried to stop them, they'd just die on arrival like flies to a swatter.

Their chaotic ways inspired the degenracy in others, allowing regular people to realize there were no more consequences in the world.

While the rest of the planet and all of its law enforcement only sat in fear of being wiped out by the androids, an entire family had been slaughtered in cold blood this morning by some random person, all because of a little argument involving a marital spat. That person was still out there free. The police had started an investigation, but recently, the androids were spotted in the country again, so all searching was halted.

Media and criminology experts speculated that the two individuals responsible for causing the world to end up in such a state of disarray, alias 17 & 18, found a sick sociopathic thrill in fear-mongering against the populace. They were assumed to have god complexes to the umpteenth degree and wanted the world to be in a constant state of anarchy.

Said God's complex was so severe that every time they would go on their homicidal rampages, they would do mundane activities afterward ranging from ice skating and clothes shopping, to vandalizing public monuments without any surface-level signs of remorse or regret.

This display of destructive behavior momentarily made the masses assume that their public aliases were more than nicknames they gave for one another, but after about 3 years passed, this theory was debunked as they showed no signs of aging physically which made a few niche online groups start to believe they were deities.

To be fair, what other conclusion could they come to? Our government had attempted to launch nuclear warheads at 17 and 18 but said artillery was reduced to scrap metal before the world's very eyes, broadcasted amongst every television in the nation.

It was frustrating to hear all the rumors about them being gods… Because I knew the truth. They were just shitty people. Side charters that would be forgotten at the snap of a finger once someone strong enough arrived who wouldn't tolerate their buffoonery.

Problem was, I wasn't the hero to bring them to justice. Nor was anyone else.

Heck, I wasn't even a hero.

I didn't have any powers. I couldn't fly. I couldn't shoot lasers from my mouth or hands. I was 4 for christ's sake.

But yet… Here I was.

*plop*

My earphones were yanked right out of my ears while I felt someone glaring so hard that I could feel laser pointed at the back of my head.

"Mr. Briefs. I know that you heard me calling your name. Why are you ignoring me?"

"What, Bluma?"

j I asked, slowly turning around.

At my words, the blue-haired middle-aged woman in a lab coat's eyebrow twitched.

"Excuse me? You mind repeating what you just said? I didn't quite hear ya." The woman said through gritted teeth and a vein popping out of her forehead.

"*sigh*"

My intention wasn't to be rude, my mind was just in a different space right now. I had momentarily forgetten that she was my mother.

"I said, yes, Mother? How may I help you? Do you need my aid or assistance?" Sarcasm clearly in my tone.

Balling her fist and showing all her teeth like a wild predator, she struck the top of my head so hard that I could have sworn the lights turned off momentarily.

"Ouch,"

I grumbled.

I could already feel a lump on my head forming while a stinging section spread around the rest of my body.

"*hmpf*"

"Serves you right for not respecting your elders."

She grumbled.

"I was respectful though!"

"Ha. Respectful, my ass. That was sarcasm if I ever heard."

She rebutted.

"Me? I would never."

This time, I decided to poke a little fun at her, but I regretted my decision as soon as I saw her fist clench.

"Alright-alright! I apologize."

I said while reading my hands defensively, which made her take a deep breath, resting her fingers on the bridge of her nose.

"At least you sound like you actually mean it this time."

She uttered.

"So… What's up? You need me for something, mom?"

At first, it was difficult to call the woman before me my mother. It even took a few years to get used to.

Why? Because in reality, she was only a few years older than me. But as time passed, I realized I had to get over that fact. She was the woman that birthed me.

No matter how I looked at it, that was the technical title for her. In truth, I looked at Bulma more as an older sister rather than a maternal figure. At least currently anyway.

"Yeah. There's a friend who I want you to meet."

She smiled.

"A friend? Who? And where are they?"

I asked with slight suspicion.

"Well, you'll just have to come with me to find out, won't you? They just landed."

"Landed? You mean they just got off a plane or something?"

"No need to spoil the surprise. Now come on."

She waved, making her way out of my room.

Following her, we walked down a fancy futuristic hallway whose walls had a holographic interface built into it that could summon one of the many bots that my grandfather built to serve us.

As we made our way into the living room, there was a man with a strange haircut sitting on the couch dressed in an orange and blue martial arts gi.

"Huh." I uttered while rating a brow which caused the man to turn around in curiosity.

Giving a bright smile and a closed-eyed smile, the man waved at me and my mother.

This was strange. I was literally just thinking about this person who I'd never seen before, yet, here he was.

"Hey, guys! Took you long enough."

Standing up, the man approached us.

"Hey, Gohan. Son, this is Mr. Gohan."

My mother greeted me.

"Long time no see, Bulma."

Crouching down to eye-level with me, Gohan examined me for a few moments, then grinned while putting his hand on my head. Without giving me the proper chance to reply, Gohan spoke.

"Hey, little guy. You've grown so much since the last time I've seen you. You look so much like your old man now."

While he had finished sizing me up, it took me a little longer to finish my observation, but that was because I had a lot more information to process than him.

Firstly, I knew that I had been raised by my mother who was an anime character, but unlike my mother, the guy who had his hand on my head as if I was a house cat could blow up a planet.

Not only that, but he was the prodigal son, said to have more potential than… Well, anyone, if I took what the manga told me at face value.

When I was a kid the first time around, I even had a poster of the guy as a teen in his Super Saiyan 2 form.

But as I was reminiscing on my childhood, I was reminded that this was a different Gohan than that of the boy who grew up to have a wife and family, unlocking a never before seen transformation later on.

This current Gohan was one that had lived hell on earth. One that watched all his friends and family die. One that eventually ends up suffering the same fate because of the person I was currently embodying.

Seeing him here was like a curse and a gift... But if I was hinest with myself, curse may have seemed a bit harsh.

What I meant by it was that it was a reality check. One that reminded me that I would never be safe in a world like this no matter where I hid. The androids would eventually come here.

And because I was me and not the original Trunks, there was a chance that I wouldn't have been able to survive due to plot purposes.

'That's why, for the last couple of years, I've been thinking of two goals… To survive, and to be happy.'

Even if there was a guaranteed afterlife, I wanted to live.

Piccolo was dead here. There was no chance I was getting wished back with the Dragon Balls.

'And to achive those, I need to get so strong.'

Since being reincarnated as Trunks, my life had been pretty relaxed. But with how the global situation was going currently, I could never say with comfortably that it was a safe life that I led.

At any time, the androids could just fly by, stealing oxygen from our lungs.

Perhaps it was the fear-mongering taking effect, but I was unnerve to live everyday life, to be frank.

"Trunks, are you gonna be rude? Or are you gonna speak up? Mr. Gohan came all this way just to see you and now you're staring at him like you wanna stab him or something." Mother said while nodding my arm.

Snapping back to reality, I realized how awkward I made the situation. I must have been staring at the guy for at least 2 whole minutes without saying a word. Who knows what type of face I was making?

"My bad. Hi, Mr. Gohan. I'm Trunks. What did you come here for?"

Taken a little aback by my blunt question, Gohan nervously laughed.

"Haha. Straight forward. I'm begging to understand why you call him Vegeta Jr."

"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean."

I raised a brow looking at Gohan, then at my mother, who pretended like she didn't hear what I just said.

"Uhh. Don't worry about it, little guy. Haha. It's a good thing. It just means that you have the capability of being a great warrior."

"Although intuition is telling me otherwise, I'm gonna igonre that and hope that what you said about being a great warrior is true. Anyway, what do you want? I doubt you're just here to check on me and my mom. Looking at your outfit, you look like you just came from training or something. Or are you about to?"

"Trunks!"

My mother said pinching my face, about to nag.

Interrupting my mother with a smile and a raise of his hand, Gohan's face became serious.

"You have good eyes and deductive skills for someone your age. Bulma, are you sure this kid is 4?" He stared at me with speculation.

I looked at him blankly. There was no need to get nervous yet and end up like an anime main character. For all intents and purposes, I really was 4.

Getting some of the heat off of me, mother spoke up.

"You're one to talk, Gohan. If I remember correctly, when you were his age, you were solving advanced math equations. Meanwhile, I can't even get this chump right here to pick up a textbook."

"Really? I'm honestly shocked. No offense, but he's surprisingly sharp."

Gohan summed upwith intrigue.

"He's always been like that. From the day he was born. He didn't even cry as a baby which made me worry in the beginning whether or not he was mute. But, with a little smack on his behind, the doctors confirmed that he was a healthy little man."

Mother added while stretching out my face the same way my grandmother would whenever she visited.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I'm as sharp as a stick of butter. I just know common sense and things like good from the bad." I uttered. In truth, compared to other people, I just had a head start. One that probably no one ever got.

"Ha. Having those traits will take you far. I promise you that." Gohan smiled.

"Hopefully, you're right. With everything that goes on outside of these walls, It's hard to go far."

In my words, the mood of the room shifted.

My mother and Gohan looked at each other with grim expressions.

"Well… That's actually why Gohan came here today."

Mother said while putting her hand on my shoulder.

One didn't have to be a detective to understand they were about to reveal something big.

"That so?"

I said while crossing my arms.

"Yeah… Actually."

Gohan then began to massage his neck with his left arm while looking upward at the roof with his eyes closed.

Opening his eyes, as if that momentary moment of silence allowed him to collect his thoughts, he looked at me with a fire burning in his eyes.

"Trunks… Before today, your mother here told me that you felt like the lifestyle of a scientist wasn't the field you wanted to be a part of. Is that correct?"

The remarks that were made were true. I didn't feel like the scientist's life was for me by any means.

"It isn't. It's not that I don't want to be something akin to a biological engineer or something along those lines, I just truly feel that I am incapable of focusing my mind on something like that. My attention span can't stick to it. I couldn't work here." I replied.

"You know, at no point did I ever imply that I wanted you to work for me." Mother spat, slightly sour.

"Still, mom. My point still stands. A scholar. That's not me. Books and robots just aren't for me."

"Ya know, we have more departments than just robotics, right?"

"Yeah... I know. Still."

My mother smiled and shook her head in defeat.

She and I had conversations about what I wanted to be when I grew up ever since my vocal cords fully developed, but I would reply to her with the same answer every time. That being, I didn't know yet.

Every time we were on this type of topic, she would try to sway me into her field, she would only be faced with rejection. She always told me I reminded her of a stupid guy she knew a long time ago who barely knew how to read as an adult, but she said that statement in longing rather than resentment and carried on her way so I never took offense.

"Then how about I offer you a proposition? Would you hear me out?"

Nodding my head to his question, he spoke directly.

"Become my martial arts apprentice starting today. If you accept, you'll pack your stuff and come along with me. And after our training is over, you'll be able to do things that people could only imagine in their wildest dreams. You would become a great warrior just like the heroes your mother told you about. Heroes like Goku. Heroes like your father who fought against-"

Without letting him finish, I interrupted.

"Sure."

Taken aback at the swiftness and bluntness of my answer, Gohan and my mother couldn't help but be shocked.

"Wait-wait-wait. You didn't even let him finish, but you replied so quickly! Do you understand the gravity of the offer he just gave you? Do you know what he was going to say?"

Judging from his reaction, I could tell that he was a young guy. But I had no intention of letting my respect waver.

"Yeah. I do."

It wasn't hard to understand where this was leading to. I didn't remember how the original Future timeline was, but I knew at one point, the guy in front of me would come here and offer something like this.

I planned from the very beginning to take it without any question. After all, it was my best chance at survival. If I took Gohan up on it, my overall quality of life would improve.

I was the son of one of the richest people in the world. With that came risk. Although unlikely, there was a chance that I could get kidnapped and held for ransom. Being bulletproof and having super strength was a huge advantage in a world without Dragon Balls. On top of that, there were 2 mass murderers flying around the planet, killing people indiscriminately whom I needed to be on guard of at all times.

It would have been stupid of me if I didn't go under this man's wing.

Also, deep down, a small part of me always thought that it would have been incredibly convenient to have the ability to fly.

"But-but what if you get hurt or something!"

Mother panicked.

Although I was certain that this was her plan to get us to meet, It was easy to tell that she was starting to quickly regret it.

"Then… I get hurt. But I'm pretty sure you have enough trust in Gohan to know that that kind of situation wouldn't happen."

Her calm demeanor crumbled before my very eyes.

Her shoulders slouched while her eyes began to water.

"But…what if-"

The reason I bought Gohan up was that he was a strong figure that my mother always mentioned in passing… Also someone she constantly compared me to, but with those compressions, my ears magically stopped working.

The point being, I knew she thought highly of him.

"Mom. You bought this man all the way out here from wherever he came from just to change your mind last minute?"

"N-No. I just didn't expect you to make a decision so quickly." She replied with tears coming down her face.

"Mom…"

Looking up at her, I gave her the warmest smile I could muster.

"..."

Wiping her face, she looked at me while attempting to compose herself.

"You told me about Gohan and the others, time and time again. You told me about how they put their lives on the line protecting the earth. You told me that you had more trust in them than anyone else. Does that not apply to this situation?"

With both of them stunned, I continued.

"I'm sure that isn't the case, right?"

Nodding her head, mother silently agreed.

"If this man has the capability of making me stronger to the point where we don't have to worry about my safety anymore, doesn't that mean that objectively, the benefits outweigh the risk?"

"Yeah… You're right."

"*sniff*"

"Then, shouldn't we get me strong as possible just in case the androids the androids arrive? We'd stand a better chance having two heads instead of one."

I asked.

"*sigh*"

Giving me a warm smile, she pulled me in for a hug, lifting my tiny body off the ground.

What can I say? I was a Saiyan. I was short. It was gonna be that way for a while until I hit that icon growth spurt of our people.

"You're right. You're right. Thank you for that. You snapped me back to my senses."

She said while giving me a kiss on my forehead.

"No problem, mom."

Looking towards Gohan, he had a sympathetic smile on his face, but resided deep in his core, I could sense something else, but there was no need for me to pry.

"Again. I gotta ask, are you sure that's a 4-year-old?"

He chuckled.

"Ya'know, If he didn't come out of me, I wouldn't be certain myself, so I don't blame you."

She smiled while ruffling my hair.

"Alright. Trunks, your things are packed up in the capsule I left for you on your bed. Go get them while I talk to Gohan for a bit."

"It. I'll be right back."

"We'll be waiting."

Gohan replied.

Walking back into my room, a few thoughts began to float through my mind.

'This feels a bit strange. I'm leaving home for god knows how long, when I've been with my mother after all this time. It's strange… I'm definitely gonna miss her.'

I thought.

Meanwhile, in the living room

"That kid… He's really something."

Gohan stated while popping down on the couch next to Bulma.

"Yeah. He definitely is."

Bulma said while staring into space as if reflecting on a memory.

"You know, I didn't expect you to call me this morning. What made you change your mind about me taking him when he was 14 like we agreed?" Gohan asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Well… The reason I wanted to wait that long, to begin with, was that I thought it was a nice and mature age for a young man to start making his own judgments." She explained.

"14 is still a good age."

Gohan added.

"Yeah. That's why we both agreed on it…"

"But what changed?"

Gohan asked.

"Well, a lot. For starters, Trunks is different from other kids his age."Bluma rebutted.

"I see."

The man nodded.

"On top of that, these past four years gave me a lot of reflection. Those insane androids murdered an old friend of mine recently."

At her words, Gohan clenched his fist tightly.

"I'm sorry… We've lost a lot because of them."

"Don't worry about it. We were just old work colleagues, but still. That situation provided me with even more perspective on the world."

She then paused and looked toward Gohan.

"You are the only person in the world that is capable of even putting up a fight with them. Like Trunks said, that shouldn't be the case. 2 heads are better than 1. He's mature enough to recognize that, so I thought he should be mature enough to listen to orders from someone like you." Bulma stated.

"We'll, I can see how you came to that conclusion."

"Also, I remember the old days. You were around his age when you started as well. Although the circumstances were a bit different, I think that it might be necessary to get him trained up. It only makes sense in case you… Don't come back one day from fighting 17 and 18."

"Yeah… No matter how grim it sounds, he would be the best insurance policy Earth has. But something does concern me about him."

"Concerns you? And what's that?"

Bulma asked.

"Well, he seems a bit free-spirited. You think that he will listen to me?"

Smiling and shaking her head, Bulma replied.

"He may be his father's child, but he does know how to listen when the situation calls for it. He's respectful, and although he rarely shows this side of himself, he's kind-hearted and caring. And that I am certain of."

Leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head, Gohan began to think to himself, then halted at the purple-haired boy's return.

"Hey guys. Mom. Do you think all these capsules were necessary?" He said with two full translucent capsules suitcases.

"Yes. They are. You'll be staying with Gohan for a while so I want you both to eat well while training."

Smiling and shaking his head, the boy walked over to the front door.

"Alrighty. Mom, I love ya. Mr. Gohan, let's head on out."

The boy motioned.

Getting up out of her seat, Bulma was about to walk away before Gohan stopped her.

"Wait, aren't you two gonna say bye to each other?"

He asked with slight concern.

Then, the boy Interrupted.

"Why would we say bye when we're gonna see each other again? That wouldn't make much sense."

He said while tilting his head.

"That's…"

Nodding, Bulma walked away.

"I'll make you a strawberry cheesecake when you come back."

"Thanks."

Waving his hand to Gohan, the boy opened up the door to the outside world.

'Ha. What a weird little guy'

Gohan thought.

Following the boys path, Gohan made his exit as well.