11 Chapter 11: Dragon Balls
"Get up."
I demanded with Owl in hand, looking down at the exhausted Trunks with his sword implanted in the ground.
"I…. I can't."
He voiced softly.
A day and a half had passed since we had met the Z fighters.
After meeting the Z-fighters, he had informed me that he wanted to make good on his words so that he could save his Timeline, but he mentioned that he "knew" it was probably impossible.
He informed me that no matter how hard he put up a fight against his version of the androids, nothing would come of it. They were unbeatable. Ultimate beings. And that was after he had discovered that I had killed them.
When I listened to him tell his in-depth life story, he revealed all of his vulnerabilities to me and he did it all without me needing to pry.
Because of his age and ignorance, he spewed it all on the table.
I was informed of his insecurities involving never being able to reach Gohan. He told me that after seeing Goku yesterday, he realized how much he lacked.
He said that he knew that if he hadn't traveled back in time, his androids would have eventually taken everything that he loved away from him.
He let out that after losing battle after battle, Goku was his only hope to live a peaceful life.
He was scared… he was fearful that without anyone around, everything would fall apart. All of what he said…it pissed me off.
We were half Saiyans just like Gohan. Our Dad had achieved Super Saiyan before we were even born which granted us even more innate potential. Yet he acted like he didn't have any.
He had all the capabilities and tools to get as strong as possible, yet, because of his timid thoughts, an oppressive wall had been created within his psyche.
Instead of learning from his failures and training with his cheat-like biology like I had, he went the complete opposite direction which led him to losing himself.
And because he lost everyone besides his mother and grandparents, he had no one to guide him towards the right path.
It was then that I realized that I had to account for a few things that made him and I very different. Although he and I were raised by the same mother, we shared little to nothing.
Gohan died when he was 14. Mine died when I was 15. His Gohan was far softer. Mine beat me until I couldn't move and almost bled out. I had scars on my body that would never heal, no matter how many Senzus I ate. He… He barely had any marks on him.
The entire foundation that he had developed over the course of his 17 years of living was based on depending on other people, while I lived in isolation for most of mine.
There was never a moment when he was alone, so when he was, he inevitably folded. Back when I told him about my forest life, he stated that his Gohan would have never done something so extreme.
Given his situation, he was raised normally. And that was the problem if his goal was to protect those he cared about.
Every night, he had warm meals that someone else cooked for him. He always had a cozy and comforting bed to lay on.
When he told me more about his version of mother and how she raised him, he cherished how easy she made hard times.
Going all the way back to when he was a kid, every time he would break something like a toy, she would just buy him new ones. She cooked him soup when he had colds. She would coddle him when he was under stress.
His life… It was pampered.
When that thought came across my mind, I realized just how good father was at reading people.
He was right about majorly everything he said regarding not only Trunks, but me as well.
Being around Trunks and discovering his flaws made me realize where I was lacking. I did wait too long to take action in my previous world.
The decisions that I made in the past did ultimately boil down to me being too passive. I could have saved Gohan. I could have saved my mother. I could have killed Cell a lot sooner if I hadn't isolated myself from the world. I created my own problems… But, I acknowledged all of it.
I never intended on making my past mistakes. That was the promise I made to myself.
Trunks, however, hadn't even begun to realize his own flaws.
He needed to be made aware of them.
I would force him, even if he didn't want to. He was me… And my pride wouldn't allow me to be passive and afraid of confrontation.
To achieve that, I needed to understand Trunks on a deeper level. I needed to see what his strengths and weaknesses were.
Of course, I had seen a few already in terms of his mentality, but I needed to see his combat.
His main weapon was his sword, and so, this morning we focused on just that.
"Get up off the ground, Trunks. Right now."
"*sigh*"
"I can't… I think…. I think I'm done for the day."
He mumbled with newly formed bruises.
"Get up."
"I said that I'm done for the day… I can't." He expressed while wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"What do you mean you can't? It has literally only been 30 minutes since we started. Get up off of the ground and stop being a fucking pussy." I said, glaring at him.
His resolve… I could see that it was weaker than I initially thought.
Looking down at the ground, it was almost as if I could physically see regret flowing through him.
We were Saiyans. We were meant to battle… The spark in his eyes a day ago showed signs of that… But those sparks were dim right now. I couldn't do much with him until it returned.
"You were the one who asked me to train you with you, right? Now we're training… But you're too tired to go a little longer?"
I asked, slowly walking towards him.
"Get the fuck up!"
"I- can't! I'm too exhausted. Can't you see that?"
He shouted.
Squinting my eyes at him, I held Owl tightly by the hilt.
"*wack*"
Slapping him across the face with the flat of the sword, he was sent back a few feet, landing on his back.
"Stop! I said I can't fight anymore! I need to rest!"
He said while holding his right cheek.
With those words, I realized… He wasn't ready to train with me. Although he was much weaker than me, he had the potential to change that but didn't have access to it because of his mental blocks.
He was still a boy that needed to grow up and find himself.
He wouldn't do that if I held his hand.
Realizing this, I then realized why Gohan had left me in that forest all those years ago. It was so that I learned how to be independent in situations where I had no one and nothing. My lessons in survival were to prepare me for situations where that wasn't guaranteed. All of that was meant to be applied in the real world.
It clicked in my mind.
With that, I recognized that Trunks needed these skills.
"You need rest, huh? Okay… I'll let you rest. And after that, your mom can rest. Your grandparents can rest. And everybody in your entire timeline can rest... In peace. They can all rest in peace. I'm done with you for now."
Ascending into the air, I watched as Trunks struggled to stand on his feet.
"Where are you going?"
He shouted with uncertainty and anger.
"I'm gonna go find someone who I can actually train with."
"So, what now? Are you seriously just gonna leave me here So that you can go train?"
He shouted.
"I am. Find out some stuff about yourself before the next time we meet. When we do see each other again, I hope you have more willpower than you do right now." I said, flying off.
"Where exactly are you going?! Hey! I'm talking to you, bastard!"
Stopping in my tracks, I turned around and told him my destination.
"Goku said he's gonna teach me Instant Transmission. I'm gonna hold him to it… He told me that it took him a couple of months to learn, so that's how long I'll be gone. Get stronger by the time I come back, Crybaby." I spat.
From afar, he looked defeated. He looked like he was enraged and wanted to fly up to sock me in the face… But we both knew how that would end and so all he could do was be angry.
Anger was good. It was an amazing motivator.
Initially, I was surprised when he had asked me of all people to train him. I was certain that he didn't like me, but after father had finished talking to us, he expressed his willingness to better himself. He just didn't know how to go about it.
That was when he asked me for advice. I told him, if he wanted to get stronger, the easiest way to do that was to continuously test the limits of his body as if his life depended on it.
He was still concerned about altering this timeline and didn't want to ask either Goku of father for aid, so he asked me.
Seeing as he was me, I thought of it as an opportunity for myself to further improve as well. I knew it would take a long time for him to catch up, but when he did slightly, I would use him to push myself further.
But now, he wasn't ready for that.
…
…
Flying in the skies towards the direction I felt Goku's Ki, I began to think about what next steps to take in life.
In 3 years, the androids would come. When they did, I would come face to face with Dr.Gero and Android 19. Afterward, 17 and 18 would arrive. Subsequently Cell, the person I hated more than anyone else.
Just thinking about him made my blood pressure rise.
'Cell…that fucker has the DNA of every one, including Frieza.'
At that thought, a revolution struck me in the back of the head like a baseball bat, paralyzing me mid-flight.
"FUCK!"
Getting to the thought of Cell, I realized that I had drastically miscalculated something that I wouldn't have if I remembered my past life with 100% clarity.
Dr. Gero had been collecting DNA for his projects for years, but his research was still ongoing with the creation of Cell ifI remembered correctly.
Future Cell had informed me of his intentions to kill his past self, but logically speaking, he would have most likely absorbed it instead.
This wouldn't have been a problem normally, but the thing was,
When Frieza had arrived on earth, Gero had managed to capture his DNA before Trunks or Goku killed him.
In this timeline, I was the one to kill Frieza… And when I fought with Goku, I bled enough to fill an entire swimming pool.
If Gero had managed to get a sample of my DNA, with the amount of genetic potential I had, there was a high chance that Cell would be too strong for me to handle in this timeline.
I didn't remember exactly how he got his previous DNA samples, but I was certain that if he was able to get his hands on what made Frieza Frieza, he mostly had everything that made me me.
Turning around, I blasted off to the location where Goku and I had our fight.
[In an underground base]
"How could I have been so foolish!"
Exclaimed a gray-haired scientist in astonishment as he gazed through the lens of a technologically advanced microscope.
In his lab, he had been going through various different DNA samples he had collected over the years from the strongest warriors on Earth.
"This Saiyan DNA… it varies depending on the subject! These strange cells that are unknown to Mankind… they mutate the further they reach maturity!"
The man smiled psychotically.
'The samples that I received from Goku, and the samples I collected from him today, they differ… These… S cells, they grow as a Saiyan reaches their physical apex. How could I have been so blind?'
The man thought.
He had dedicated his life to one goal for the past 20 years. That goal was to defeat the Saiyan known as Goku. The man responsible for snatching his dreams of world domination.
He wanted to be a god amongst men. Ruling with an iron fist… he knew that it was the only way to prevent tragedy from happening. If he had more power in his past, perhaps, he could have prevented the death of his son. Perhaps, he would be able to find peace with his family. Perhaps, he would be able to build an entire new one.
Goku… he ruined it all. The very concept of happiness was stolen from him. That's why he wanted revenge. That's why he had spent so much time collecting data.
He intended to reignite his dreams and aspirations through his genius. And he had been doing so… but as of 24 hours ago, he realized the flaws in his work.
'I hadn't even accounted for the reasoning Goku developed so exponentially. These S cells… The vibrancy and the vitality at which they liven through extreme amounts of trial and intensity, just the way they respond to an electrical charge, is majestic in nature! It almost makes me wonder… What else have I overlooked.'
With his more recent DNA strand he had collected from a purple haired mysterious youth, it made him begin to re-configured his prototype works.
Initially, he had planned on making himself known to the world within the next 3 years. With his new discovery, perhaps it would take a decade longer than anticipated. But all of it… it would be worth it in the end.
Getting up from his seat, he began to open up various different programs on his Supercomputer.
These specific programs related to the Ai which managed the android projects.
He had built this AI as a safety precaution in order to ensure that even upon his own death, Gero's computer would guarantee his victory in the end, and would act as if it was himself while he moved on to the next life.
But upon discovering the purple-haired youth, he realized that the AI was programmed to consider DNA of the same species obsolete. For example, his computer's programming declared that having two samples of Half-Saiyan DNA was a redundancy, filtering out new inputs.
With Gero's new finding of S-cells, he realized that this was something that needed to be righted as soon as possible, otherwise, Cell, his perfect creation, and all of his other projects would underperform.
Saiyans had a knack for getting themselves into chaotic situations. The ones he studied in particular were extremely powerful, and due to their biology and personalities would only get stronger with time.
Although the man was very much so impatient, time was currently something he had an abundance of. And he would use it wisely.
"*step-step-step*"
"What is it, Number 19?"
Dr. Gero stated without turning to his combat assistant.
"Dr.Gero. The Scarred Saiyan has returned to the wastelands."
Pausing his actions, Gero turned around in slight caution.
This morning, he deployed a total of 100 tracking drones toward that specific site in order to scavenge for more DNA from the purple-haired youth.
"Why? What is his intentions? Is he alone, or is he with others?
If he had come with others, perhaps he would be able to gain more samples to further his research.
But if he had arrived alone… Then that was a cause for suspecition.
No matter how hard he searched through medical records, no matter how much hacking through government databases he did, he couldn't pull up any records of either of the purple-haired twins.
He had assumed they might have been extraterrestrial in origin, but uncertainty was one thing that activated his paranoid personality traits more than anything.
"He is alone. There seems to be no other beings nearby."
The white-skinned android 20 stated.
"As of now… His intentions are undetermined. Currently, he floats above the exhibit."
Pointing to Gero's monitor, Android 20 remotely connects to the Supercomputer, displaying live events.
[Back in the Wasteland]
'Okay… Yesterday, we fought around here.'
I thought in alarm.
'If he hasn't already taken my DNA, then he'll probably come here sooner or later.'
Focusing my Ki in my hands, A luminescent yellow Ki Orb began to rapidly increase in size until it was as big as 5 trucks stacked on top of each other. As it arrived at an efficient size, , with my will, I carefully condensed it to the size of a fingernail, ascending higher and higher into the air until I was above most clouds.
Flicking the orb towards the earth, it started to descend slowly like a twinkling snowflake.
The energy I had inserted into the attack was enough to level a large city, but because I had high Ki control, the tectonic plates of earth weren't jeopardized in being shifted.
After waiting a few seconds, I could sense 2 energies headed towards my Direction. Father's and Goku's.
"Scar! What the hell are you doing!?"
Said father in the distance, wearing his training gear while Goku only looked at me in curiosity. He had most likely sensed that my intentions weren't to blow up the planet.
Goku was dressed in his orange and blue Gi while father had on his blue, white, and yellow Saiyan armor.
"*Booom*"
A large and fiery mushroom cloud was created beneath us, causing all of us to get pushed back slightly due to the sheer force.
"*woosh*
The wind blew intensely as all the clouds were being blown away, revealing the vibrant blue sky and yellow sun in all of its glory.
Below, every rock, every pebble, every mountain had evaporated within the select area Goku and my battle took place yesterday.
Flying up to me and grabbing me by my blue shirt, father angrily yelled.
"Just what the hell was that, you buffoon? Are you trying to blow up the planet?"
"Yeah, Trunks. Just, what exactly is going on?" Goku asked, peeking his head out from behind Father.
Looking at them seriously, I shook my head, no.
"Then what are you doing, huh? Recklessly testing out new abilities? Is that it?" Father yelled.
"No… It's none of that."
I uttered.
Letting go of my white hoodie, father crossed his arms, irritated.
"Well, you better have a good excuse on hand."
He spat.
"I had to blow this place up… the reason involves the androids."
"The androids?"
Goku asked.
Then, father and Goku both nodded at each other then looked at me.
"Alright… What can we do?"
Goku asked with his eyebrows frowned.
"I need the Dragon Balls."
Farther, immediately taking what I said out of context began to shout.
"What do you mean you need the Dragon Balls? What? Are you just going to wish the androids out of existence? Is that it? Have you not learned anything from our conversation yestr-"
"*Booom*"
Turning Super Saiyan, I stared father in his eyes, asserting my dominance which caused not only him but Goku as well to be pushed back.
"Shut the fuck up! Right now is not the time for that. I need those Dragon Balls ASAP. I'm not gonna wish away the androids, and I'm not running from them. I need them because something that wasn't supposed to happen in this timeline is gonna happen. I need the Dragon Balls to stop it."
I exclaimed. If my DNA was out there in the wild, then I was screwed. Heck, we all were. I needed to step up or else, things weren't gonna be looking good for us within the next few years when Cell would arrive.
I needed to get rid of all evidence of my being.
Taking a few hesitant gulps of his saliva, father attempted to gain his composure.
"Alright… I have no idea where the wishing orbs are, but I'm certain that your mother has a device she can use to find their location. We can ask her for it."
He stated. But behind him, Goku scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Well… Ya see, the thing is, somebody already started collecting the Dragon Balls on earth." Goku chuckled.
"Who?!"
I unconsciously screamed.
Just who the hell was out there collecting Dragon Balls at such a terribly inconvenient time? Why now of all times.
"Well, that, I don't know exactly. But there are people all over the world who want to use them. So it's not really a surprise…"
Goku could feel the amount of frustration that I felt. So quickly, he reassured me.
"But… There is something else I can do for you. Instead of using the earth's Dragon Balls, I can use Instant Transmission to take you to Namek! If we ask them nicely, I'm sure we can get you what you need."
At that moment…a wave of relief was washed over my body.
Namek had a Dragon Balls as well, but it's Dragon could grant three wishes, unlike the one on earth at the current moment.
"*sigh*"
Relaxing my body, I released my transformation which put father and Goku at ease.
"Alright. Take me there."
"Sure!"
Flying over to my side and putting his hand on my right shoulder, Goku closed his eyes and started to sense the Ki of his Namek friends.
"Hmph. Then I guess you'll be leaving me here then. Doesn't matter. I was in the middle of training anyway."
Father spat.
"What do you mean? You can't go to Namek?"
I asked, but Goku soon added on.
"Vegeta… He isn't on good terms with the Namekians."
Goku said nervously.
"What happened with you and Namek?"
I raised a question.
"I just killed a few of their people and blew up some villages. Now they hold some sort of petty grudge against me."
"..."
I looked at him in shock. My father… He was really screwed in the head. A Lot more than he outwardly showed.
"What? You act as if you've never had a homicidal rage. On top of that, they have Dragon Balls. All of the Namekians got wished back to life by now. So it wasn't as if I caused any serious damage."
He said, noticing my stare.
"... You're a goddamn psychopath,"
I uttered.
"Wrong. By definition, I would be classified as a sociopath, if anything. I actually have the capacity to feel emotion. Learn to use proper vocabulary before you begin to toss random diagnoses at me, you accident. Anyway, fix the mess you made. I'll continue on with what I was doing." He enunciated, turning around and flying away.
"Ah! I found him! See you later, Vegeta!"
Goku waved goodbye.
In the blink of an eye, we had teleported.
[In an underground lab]
"What?! Is he insane?! Why would that brainless idiot commit to such a destructive act without being provoked!?"
Gero exclaimed.
He had watched in high definition as the data collection site was destroyed before his very eyes.
'My drones should have been impossible to detect… Did he somehow know they were there? No… That would have been impossible… But me being a man of science, the impossible is always probability…I can't allow for my transgressions to repeat themselves.'
If the purple-haired youth had some sort of knowledge about Gero, Gero realized that this was a problem that needed tending to.
If Scar had any information on him, then there was a chance that his location was compromised. It was time for him to relocate.
[Planet Namek]
In an instant, we were on another planet. Specifically, in a village surrounded by green people with antennas, varying in appearance. Some of them were washing clothes in the stream nearby while others were tending to floral.
As Goku began to look around in search of someone, others began to whisper among themselves, cautious of us.
"Wow… There's a lot of Piccolos here."
Goku mumbled.
"Goku… That's racist."
I said feeling slightly uncomfortable by his blatant comment.
"What do you mean? They all look the same though. Sure, some are taller, but you get what I mean, right?"
"... Nevermind. Just do what you were doing."
Nodding his head, Goku continued to search for a familiar energy.
I understood that the Namekians didn't have good relations with aliens. That's why I understood why some of them were weary of us, ready to pounce at the slightest seemingly aggressive movement.
Then, a short elderly individual began to approach us alongside some of his subordinates.
"Are you… Friend or Foe?"
He asked, uncertain of our intention.
"Hi! I'm Goku. I'm here to-"
With those simple words that escaped Goku's lips, joy physically manifested on the elderly man's face.
"Ah! You're the savior of Planet Namek. You're the one who defeated Frieza!" He shouted with excitement.
"You know me?"
Goku asked with surprise.
"How could I not? All of us know of your heroic tales. Without you, none of us would be here today!" He spoke with a contagious smile that seemed to spread amongst everyone nearby.
"Well…I didn't technically defeat him."
"What!"
All of them were invaded by the spirit of fear itself.
"Wait, that's not what I mean. Frieza is 100% dead now. I was just saying that technically speaking, this guy killed him when Frieza recovered and landed on Earth."
"Oh… T-thank goodness. I thought that for a moment, that evil tyrant was still alive."
…
…
"What's your name warrior?"
The elder by the name of Moori had introduced himself to us.
"His name is Trunks. He's from a future where Veg-"
Grabbing Goku and forcefully covering myself, I properly introduced myself.
"Hi. I'm Trunks. Just a fighter from earth. That's all."
"Huh?"
He and others looked at me strangely while I had Goku in a headlock. Goku was a legend to them. To see him in a compromising position like this was more than immersion braking causing a slight commotion amongst the crowd.
"Don't worry about Goku. This is just how we play around. Anyway, do you mind helping us? We came here today because we wanted to use the Dragon Balls."
"The Dragon Balls?"
He asked with curiosity.
"Yeah… We need them. There's a wish I have to make in order to save the planet I live on."
"I see."
Moori uttered. Then he looked at me with a face of worry.
"Is Goku going to be Okay if you continue to hold him in that manner?" He asked with concern.
"MMMM!"
With his head in my arms and his mouth still covered, Goku was kicking and screaming.
Then, all of a sudden, I felt a rise in Goku's Ki.
"*Chomp*"
I searing pain shot signals to my nerves, causing me to lose grip on Goku's head.
"Ouch, you little shit! Did you just bite me?!"
Holding my tongue, I waved my hand back and forth to alleviate it from pain.
"What the hell, Trunks! Of course I bit you! I couldn't breathe! You didn't feel me tapping you?"
He shouted.
"But did you have to power up just to bite me?"
I asked, rubbing my aching hand.
"How else was I gonna make you let go? You almost killed me!"
Others around began to chuckle. They didn't know what to make of the situation, but they knew we meant them no harm.
"Anyway, like he was saying, can we use your Dragon Balls?"
Goku asked.
Nodding, Moori went inside of his dome shaped home with four other people. Moments later, 7 large orbs with stars contained within them were laid out in front of us.
"Now, Before we get started, you must recognize that there are rules when it comes to our people's Dragon Balls. Once Porunga is summoned, you are only allowed to bring people back to the land of the living if they haven't died of natural causes." Moori affirmed.
"Understood."
I replied.
"Now… The second rule is that the great dragon has limitations. Those limitations cannot transcend their creator's capabilities."
Wordlessly nodding to the man, I allowed him to speak his final rule.
"The third rule is more of a requirement. A password must be stated before one has access to Porunga's power. I shall announce this password once you are ready… Are you ready?"
"..."
