Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future ❯ Chapter 18: Trump Card ( Chapter 18 )

I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z OR ANY RACES, PLANETS, OR CHARACTERS RELATED TO IT. GALDRIA, HEVA, TIRIS, IQUELA, MIURA, ZELLIS, SETH, CLEF, HANZO, TWILIGHT AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS, RACES, OR PLANETS WERE ALL CREATED BY ME.

 

 

Dragon Ball:

Chaotic Future

 

CHAPTER 18

 

Mad God Saga, Part VII

“Trump Card.”

 

 

 

Bulma embraced her son.

 

After a journey that had ended up taking the better part of a month, the Galdrian ship had finally reached Earth, much to the relief of Elysia, Trunks, and the others. The cramped quarters, which had been nearly unbearable for four people during the last journey to Namek, were now entirely unlivable with eight. It had taken a miraculous amount of self-control from everybody to ensure that the journey continued without incident.

 

“God, Trunks, it's good to see you again,” the blue-haired woman whispered, kissing her only child lightly on the cheek. “You know it's been almost six months since you left, and nearly two since you last contacted me!?” She held Trunks' face between her hands, indifferent to his expression of embarrassment. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Trunks?”

 

“Mother, please!” the half-Saiyan exclaimed, pulling away from Bulma's teasing grasp. “We don't have time for this, I'm sorry to say.” When she flashed him an inquiring look, he gently took her hand. “A lot has happened since we last spoke, and believe me, none of its good…”

 

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Trunks studied his mother's expression.

 

Nearly three hours had passed since the weary travelers from Galdria had arrived on Earth, and in that time they had been escorted to Capsule Corporation headquarters, where Trunks had just finished explaining their current situation to his mother. Bulma had remained silent as her son described the grisly details of Tempest's massacre on Namek, and she had flashed Elysia an understanding glance as he went on to tell of Galdria's near-destruction.

 

“I am so sorry, my dear,” Bulma said softly, walking over to the Galdrian Princess and taking her hand lightly into her own. “Believe me, I know what it feels like to see your world get torn down around you.” Elysia smiled politely at the older human woman, but her eyes remained dry of tears as Bulma continued. “And I also know what it's like to lose someone that you love…”

 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, which had once been used for meetings by the management team of Capsule Corporation. Elysia, unsure of what to say, decided to remain silent, though she gave Bulma's hand a light squeeze, her own way of letting the blue-haired woman know that she had indeed understood. Eventually the silence was broken as Trunks pointedly cleared his throat.

 

“Mother,” he said, watching as Bulma returned to her seat. “Before leaving Galdria, I had a… a dream, I guess you could say. Or maybe it was more of a vision, I'm not sure.” He shook his head and ran a hand back through his long purple hair. “I was in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, wearing the exact same set of Saiyan armor that I had when preparing to battle Cell, in the other timeline…” At this, Clef, Hanzo, and the others gasped, as if unable to fully understand what Trunks had just said.

 

“Other timeline?” Dorian asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow and glancing at his son, who sat across from him at the large table. Gabriel, as unsure of Trunks' statement as his father had been, merely shrugged. “Trunks, what exactly do you mean? I was under the impression that you simply had traveled to the past…”

 

“It's a long story, one that I promise to tell all of you when this is all over,” the young Saiyan Prince responded, voice filled with exasperation. “Anyway, in this dream, or whatever it was, I was training in the Time Chamber, awaiting the conflict against Cell.” He looked his mother straight in the eye as he continued, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “Father was there, looking exactly the way I remember him from the other timeline, and he told me to come here.” Hope flashed brightly within Trunks' teal eyes, and he began pacing the room, as if unable to sit still for even a moment longer. “He said that if I had any hope of defeating my enemy, I had to return here to use the Time Chamber,” Trunks said, gazing intently at each of his companions one at a time. “But not just me. I think that all of us need to undergo the training, if we have any chance of beating Tempest…”

 

“I don't understand,” Hanzo blurted out, rising from his seat so fast that the chair tipped over and fell to the floor. “I mean, what's the big deal about this Time Chamber anyway?” Miura's half-brother leaned against the nearest wall and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head in frustration. “I've been through almost every kind of intense training out there, and I'm still no match for Tempest. Why should I believe that this chamber will make any difference, huh?” Before Trunks had a chance to speak, his mother answered Hanzo's question.

 

“The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is special,” Bulma began, folding her hands neatly atop the table, and getting a distant look in her eyes. “Goku, a friend of mine who died a long, long time ago, told me about it when I was younger. You can only enter the chamber two times during your life, and apparently it allows a person to receive an entire year's worth of training in just one day.” Hanzo was about to protest such a possibility when he was interrupted by Trunks.

 

“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true,” the half-Saiyan said quietly, walking over to stand before the room's single window. “I used the room myself, twice in fact, while waiting for Cell to begin his little tournament. And my friend Gohan used the chamber to get strong enough to surpass Super Saiyan, and Ascended Saiyan too, for that matter.” He looked pointedly at Hanzo, whose mouth hung open in shock. “This is our chance to surpass our current abilities too,” Trunks said, narrowing his eyes slightly and lowering his voice as he continued. “So, Hanzo… Will you trust me?”

 

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Bulma agreed with Trunks' plan.

 

Just before dawn the next day, Clef, Zellis, Elysia, Gabriel, Dorian, Rika, and Bulma herself boarded a Capsule Corporation Aircar and left on their journey to Kami's Lookout, where the Hyperbolic Time Chamber awaited them. Trunks, however, claimed to have another plan in mind and, with Hanzo in tow, the young Saiyan Prince departed for an entirely different location.

 

The two Saiyan warriors flew silently over West City, heading for a distant range of mountains somewhere to the north. After nearly an hour of silence, Hanzo finally spoke, barely able to conceal the frustration in his voice.

 

“Where the hell are we going, Trunks?” the older Saiyan warrior asked, glaring slightly at his companion. “I thought our goal was to use the Time Chamber and reach this new level of Super Saiyan? So what's the point in going the opposite direction from where this `Lookout' is located?” Trunks merely smiled knowingly at Hanzo before answering.

 

“Don't worry, we'll get to the Lookout soon enough,” Vegeta's son responded with a laugh. “Right now, though, I've got something else in mind, so just trust me, okay?” Hanzo snorted disapproval, but remained dubiously silent as Trunks spoke again. “This is going to be a long trip, so just chill out. It wouldn't do any good if the two of us started fighting each other now, would it?”

 

“Fine then, if this trip is going to take as long as you say,” Hanzo began with a sly smile, “then you'll have plenty of time to explain to me what you meant yesterday.” When Trunks raised a questioning eyebrow, the black-clad Saiyan flashed him a quick grin. “I'm very interested to hear the whole story of your little time-traveling adventure. Especially the part about `the other timeline.'”

 

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The Aircar raced toward the Lookout.

 

The travelers from Galdria were stunned as they got their first real look at Earth's various types of landscape. Lush, green fields gave way almost immediately to great snowcapped mountains, which just as quickly became barren desert, cool blue oceans, or snowy wasteland, then right back to healthy green forests and meadows again. As Bulma's vehicle cleared another range of mountains, Dorian gasped.

 

A rolling field, strewn with large white stones and the remains of a great tower, spread out endlessly before them, bordered on the sides by dark forest. Bulma looked back from her front seat to where the Galdrian Prince sat in stunned silence behind her, tears welling up slowly in his piercing blue eyes.

 

“Dorian,” Bulma quietly spoke, returning her attention to the landscape before her. “Do… Do you know this place?” Looking up into the rear-view mirror, the blue-haired woman saw Dorian nod once, closing his eyes to shut out some painful memory of the past. “This used to be where Korin Tower stood, until the androids destroyed it a long time ago…”

 

“I faced them here,” Dorian said suddenly, startling everyone with the harsh tone of his voice. “Shortly after my ship had crashed, I learned of the androids 17 and 18, who were wreaking havoc on this world.” Bulma nearly crashed the Aircar, so quickly did she whip her head around to face Dorian.

 

“You fought them?!” she exclaimed as Rika reached over and steadied the vehicle. Dorian was silent for a moment, but he nodded once as he stared deep into Bulma's eyes. Eventually, body trembling tremendously, the head of Capsule Corporation returned her attention to piloting the Aircar, though she remained curious about Dorian's story. “What happened, Dorian?”

 

“I'd heard that all of Earth's most powerful fighters had already been killed by the duo, so I decided to face them in battle, on behalf of the kind humans who had taken me in after the accident,” Dorian said softly, eyes flashing as he remembered those dark and hopeless first days of his exile. “When I arrived, I found 17 and 18 taking turns kicking the tower, seeing who would be the first to knock it down. We fought, but it had been several years since I'd left Galdria on my voyage through the universe, and my Galdrian powers were weak.” He looked down as if ashamed of himself before continuing. “I lost, and they destroyed the tower. But before the androids could kill me, a young man dressed in an orange gi arrived and managed to fight them off, barely. He commended my bravery, but recommended that I leave the androids to him…”

 

“Gohan,” Bulma murmured, still slightly in shock from Dorian's story. “He never mentioned anything about it, not that I'm surprised.” She smiled slightly, and it took years of hard living and worry away from her beautiful features. “He always refused to talk about his battles against 17 and 18 whenever he was around, as if by not talking about them, the androids would just cease to exist…”

 

“Gohan,” Dorian repeated, almost to himself. “He was the one that Trunks spoke of, correct?” When Bulma nodded agreement, Dorian closed his eyes and shook his head. “I was sorry to learn of his death, for he and I spent some time together during my first years here. He was a good man.”

 

“Very,” Bulma said, angling the Aircar so that it now flew straight up, leaving the remains of Korin Tower quickly behind. “He was so much like his father, even right until the end…” She sighed deeply, a mix of regret for Gohan's loss and old memories of her adventures with Goku. When she spoke again, it was a change of subject. “Well, it won't be much longer now, guys. Kami's Lookout floats high above where Korin Tower used to stand, so we'll be there in no time at all!”

 

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Hanzo was stunned by Trunks' incredible story.

 

“So it was all for nothing then?” Hanzo finally asked, after flying in silence since Trunks had finished his tale. “I mean, what was the point in changing the past if it had no impact here, on your timeline?”

 

“But it did have an impact, you see,” Trunks responded with a half-smile. “If I hadn't gone back, then another timeline would have had to suffer the same fate as my own, and I couldn't allow that to happen.” He shrugged as they continued flying toward their destination, which remained unknown to Hanzo. “Besides, I was able to finally meet my father, and without the training that I received to battle Cell, I never would have been strong enough to return here and destroy 17, 18, and Cell himself when he appeared here. It all worked out, in the end.”

 

“In a very roundabout way, you mean,” Hanzo countered, shaking his head in disbelief. “If I didn't know you so well, I'd be forced to call you a liar, Trunks.” Again, silence as the two Saiyans proceeded north, though it was eventually broken by Miura's half-brother. “I'll go no further until you tell me where we're going,” Hanzo said defiantly, stopping in midair and crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“Fine, fine,” Trunks gave in, rolling his eyes as he floated slowly back to where his companion had stopped. The young Saiyan Prince reached into the pocket of his dark blue Capsule Corporation jacket, pulling out a small cylinder of metal and circuitry. “This is the complete memory back-up from Android 16, who helped us fight Cell in the alternate timeline.”

 

“But I thought you said that 16 was destroyed,” Hanzo interrupted, snatching the cylinder away from Trunks and eyeing it suspiciously. “So how did you come across this?” he asked, lightly tossing the memory back-up from one hand to the other.

 

“Hey, be careful!” Trunks cried out, using his lightning speed to grab the cylinder from Hanzo during mid-toss. “I took this from 16's remains before coming back here, okay? I thought that it might come in handy sometime.”

 

“So what, you're planning on bringing him back somehow?” Hanzo asked dubiously, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Are you mad? After all the damage that the androids caused here, you'd willingly unleash another one?”

 

“Did you even listen to a word I said?” Trunks asked in surprise. “I told you, 16 wasn't like the other androids. He helped us destroy Cell! And I'm sure he'd help us against Tempest as well.” When Hanzo shook his head in disbelief, Trunks glared angrily at him. “Well, what is it?”

 

“Do you honestly think that some stupid robot will be able to do anything against a monster like Tempest?” Hanzo asked, scratching the back of his head. “He couldn't even kill Cell, so what do you expect him to do against a god?”

 

“It doesn't matter, Hanzo,” Trunks responded, clenching his fists. “We need every last bit of help that we can find if we have any hope of beating Tempest. You know that just as well as I do.” When Hanzo remained surprisingly silent, Bulma's son continued. “We're going to find Dr. Gero's lab, implant these memory banks into this timeline's Android 16, and ask him to help us out. Whether you like it or not…”

 

With that, Trunks turned his back on Hanzo and continued his long flight to the north. After a brief moment, the black-clad Saiyan warrior cursed under his breath before rushing to rejoin his companion in this seemingly pointless quest to recruit a seemingly worthless ally.

 

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Zellis and the others exited the Aircar.

 

The Lookout was situated on a large platform that floated high above the Earth's surface. It was mostly nondescript, other than a single building located near the center and several small gardens filled with palm trees and flowers. When all of the passengers had gotten out of the vehicle, Bulma pressed a small button on the outside of the Aircar, transforming it with an explosion of smoke back into a small, handheld capsule.

 

“Welcome to the Lookout, strangers,” a jovial voice spoke from their right. As Clef, Elysia, Rika, Dorian, Gabriel, and Zellis turned, they noticed a short, plump, black-skinned man dressed in very unusual clothing. Atop the stranger's head was a tightly wrapped white turban, held together in the front by a blue jeweled clasp. His upper torso was left bare, other than a dark red, almost maroon-colored vest and a golden armband on each bicep. A red sash was wrapped around the soot-black stranger's plump waist, apparently to help hold up his baggy white pants, whose bottoms were tucked neatly into a pair of red, pointed shoes.

 

But it wasn't just the clothing that made this man seem unusual, for his physical characteristics were just as strange. His skin was jet-black, with no other indication of color, except for his large, bright red lips. Wide, round dark eyes seemed filled with mirth as he studied the newcomers, and it almost seemed as if his pointed, pierced ears were trembling slightly with joy at meeting the travelers.

 

“Who are you calling a stranger, Popo?” Bulma asked with a laugh as she stepped forward and embraced the short, round man. “I know it's been a while, but don't tell me that you've forgotten my pretty face!” It took a moment, but comprehension finally dawned on the stranger, whom Bulma had called `Popo.'

 

“Bulma!” he exclaimed, returning her embrace. “How good it is to finally see you again, my dear. Please forgive me for not recognizing you, for it has truly been a long time since you last visited.” He looked past Bulma at the group of people who had accompanied her, smiling slightly as he studied them for a moment. “And who are you friends, Bulma?”

 

“Oh, of course,” she said, blushing at her lack of manners. “I'd like you to meet Elysia, Dorian, and Gabriel, of the royal family of planet Galdria.” The three mentioned individuals bowed politely, though still somewhat startled by Popo's unusual appearance. “This is Zellis, also a Galdrian noble and a former Hunter,” Bulma continued, moving next to Rika. “Rika is a former employee of mine from Capsule Corporation, and this,” she said, gesturing toward the final member of the group, “is Clef.”

 

“Ah, a Namekian!” Popo exclaimed, rushing forward to take Clef's hand. The black-skinned little man spoke a few hurried words in a language unknown to the others, but one which Clef understood perfectly. The warrior from Namek responded in the same tongue, patting Popo lightly on the shoulder.

 

“I had known that a Namekian had resided here on Earth,” Clef said, his voice filled with awe. “How else could there have been Dragon Balls here? But I would never have believed that he was Earth's Guardian! Amazing…” The former bodyguard looked down at Popo, grief momentarily filling his eyes. “I'm sorry, Popo, but I am the last of my race. The others were all slaughtered by an indescribably powerful creature called Tempest…”

 

Popo gasped, one hand instantly shooting up to cover his mouth as tears formed in his round, dark eyes. His body trembled violently, and for a moment, Zellis wondered if the soot-skinned man was going to pass out. After a moment, however, Popo regained his composure, though his eyes were still haunted with sorrow.

 

“Popo,” Bulma said quietly, walking forward and taking his hand. “That's why we're here. My companions need to use the Time Chamber, the one that Goku trained in when he was a child. Without it, they'll never be able to face this new enemy of theirs. I'm begging you, allow them to train in the chamber, so they can become strong enough to avenge all of the people who've been killed by Tempest…”

 

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Dr. Gero's laboratory, in reality, was little more than a cave.

 

“What exactly is it that we're looking for?” Hanzo asked harshly, using a ball of energy held in his right hand to illuminate the darkened chamber. “I mean, do you even know where this android is?” He looked ahead of him, where Trunks was using an energy orb of his own to light his way as he examined every nook and cranny of the shadowy lab.

 

“Don't worry,” Trunks said with reproach, finding himself frustrated by Hanzo's negativity. “Gero was notorious for hiding things under his laboratory. That's where I found Cell's incubation chamber while in the past, anyway…” The Saiyan from Earth ignored his companion's grunt of annoyance as the search continued. Eventually, Hanzo called Trunks over to see something.

 

“These are the pods that 17 and 18 must have lain dormant in, before Gero activated them,” Trunks said quietly as Hanzo showed him the two large, coffin-like steel chambers. “To think… If only my father and the others had known about this place.”

 

“Don't dwell on it,” Hanzo quickly responded, not allowing his friend to slip any deeper into the bottomless well of “what ifs” that had slowly been creeping up on him ever since the incident on Tiris. “What's done is done, as they say. Worrying about it won't change anything, Trunks.”

 

The purple-haired Saiyan nodded once, understanding Hanzo's double-meaning as he leaned against the nearby wall. As soon as he had rested his full weight upon the stones behind him, a switch hidden in the wall must have been activated, and Trunks gasped as a low rumbling sound filled the darkened lab. Suddenly, light flooded the cave-like structure, pouring down from several large lamps embedded in the ceiling. As Trunks stood, a panel of the steel flooring between himself and Hanzo began to slow slide away to the left, revealing a deep, dark gap from which something could be seen rising to the surface. After what seemed like forever, a chamber similar to those that had held Androids 17 and 18 emerged from the darkness, stopping when it reached ground level.

 

Hanzo smiled slightly at his companion's shock before dusting a thick layer of debris from the surface of the steel “coffin.” Through a small square of filthy, dust-encrusted glass, the Saiyan warrior could barely make out the outline of a stern face topped by an unruly shock of orange hair, eyes closed and features serene, as if in sleep.

 

“Well, we found him.”

 

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The warriors were led to the Lookout's Time Chamber.

 

It had been decided that, since Trunks and Hanzo were still off pursuing their own agenda, Gabriel and Dorian would be the first to enter the chamber. The old Galdrian Prince was convinced that, given enough time and effort, Gabriel could learn to harness an unthinkable amount of power, which could then be projected through the blade of his energy saber, much as Miura had done in his final two battles.

 

“But Miura's power came from his Genjin blood,” Zellis had protested, unconvinced of Dorian's theory. “How can Gabriel be expected to manipulate a power like that?”

 

“But a Genjin warrior cannot utilize a Galdrian energy saber; their type of power is far too alien,” Dorian had explained. “You said that Miura used his blade to unleash the full fury of his strength on Tempest, and Mylember too, for that matter. For our late Emperor to have done such a thing, Galdrian energy must have been at play also.” When Zellis still looked dubious, the former Heir continued with a sigh. “You told me that while battling Tempest on Namek, you fought with Miura's saber, did you not?” Zellis nodded, though still uncertain as to where Dorian was going with this. “According to your own description of the conflict, Tempest was loathe to allow any physical contact between himself and the blade, correct?”

 

“Yes, but it was probably because if I'd managed to hit him with it, he would have lost his `game,'” the green-haired noblewoman had countered. “Surely you don't think—” Suddenly Zellis understood what Dorian was trying to say. “You think that Tempest is somehow afraid of Galdrian energy?” she had asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

 

“It makes sense,” Clef had said, having followed the conversation silently thus far. “It seemed to me that back on Namek, Tempest was worried about more than his game while you were on the attack.” A haunted looked entered the former bodyguard's dark eyes as he recalled the massacre of his people. “Besides, even if you would've hit him, do you really think he'd of spared the Namekians?”

 

“I don't know if what my father is saying is true or not,” Gabriel suddenly said, causing all eyes to focus on him. “But I'll do everything in my power to make sure Tempest is destroyed for what he's done to us.”

 

And with that, it had been decided that Dorian and his son would be the first to enter the Time Chamber. Given enough time, the old Prince was determined to teach his only child how to use a fearsome and legendary Galdrian power, one that would be more than enough to utterly destroy their godlike adversary.

 

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The hours passed slowly.

 

Zellis, Clef, Rika, Elysia, Bulma, and Popo sat quietly outside the Time Chamber, counting down every minute until Dorian and Gabriel finished their training. Trunks and Hanzo were still unaccounted for, and Bulma prayed that they'd arrive soon to use the chamber also, for their strength would be the deciding factor in this battle.

 

“Popo?” the blue-haired woman asked suddenly, breaking the heavy silence that had descended upon the Lookout. “Trunks has already used the Time Chamber twice… Will he even be able to use it now, when we need his strength the most?” Popo remained silent for several minutes, as if unsure of the answer himself. “I mean,” Bulma continued, “what if he can't enter the chamber again?”

 

“Do not worry, Bulma,” Popo said with a smile. “I'm sure that, since the conflict with Cell took place in an alternate reality, Trunks should have no problem using the Time Chamber here, in his own time.” Bulma nodded agreement, realizing that what Popo said did, in actuality, make sense. Several more hours passed before anyone spoke again, and this time it was Elysia.

 

“How do you think they're doing in there?” she asked, not really worrying about an answer, but rather wishing to break the foreboding silence. “I can't feel their energy signatures at all. I wonder if they're alright…”

 

Zellis was about to respond when a cold feeling of dread passed suddenly through her, causing her to gasp in shock. A quick look around at her companions revealed that they too had felt it, even Bulma, who was completely untrained in the ability to sense power levels. Clef met the noblewoman's gaze, nodding slightly in agreement with her silent inquiry.

 

Tempest was now on Earth.

 

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Trunks and Hanzo froze.

 

The half-Saiyan warrior had just installed the memory banks into Android 16 when Tempest made his presence know. A tremor of involuntary fear coursed through the bodies of both Saiyans, and Trunks looked down ashamedly at his shaking hands. Hanzo clenched his own fists to hide their trembling, and he gritted his teeth as the unnatural chill of dark power caused the hair on his neck to stand straight up.

 

“Trunks, he's here, on Earth!” Hanzo exclaimed, taking a hesitant step toward the lab's entrance. “How?! How did he know we'd be coming here?!” The dark-eyed Saiyan turned his shock-widened gaze upon his companion, who was once again busying himself in an attempt to activate the motionless android. “What are you doing? We have to get out of here!”

 

“And where the hell are we supposed to go, Hanzo?” Trunks asked, voice filled with venom. “You know as well as I do that no matter where we hide, Tempest will find us! Our only hope is to activate 16 and get to the Lookout as soon as possible!” He stood from his crouch slowly, stretching muscles that protested at being instructed to move after such a long time of immobility. “That should do it,” Vegeta's son said, reaching to retrieve the activation remote from off the nearby workbench. “Here goes nothing…”

 

With a press of the button, Android 16's pale blue eyes instantly shot open. His mouth opened suddenly, and a gasp of disbelief left him as he sat up, immediately turning his attention to the cave's mouth. As if completely oblivious to the two warriors beside him, 16 walked hesitantly toward the exit, his black jumpsuit and bright green armor dull with dust.

 

“What terrible power,” the android suddenly spoke in his low, monotone voice. “It can't be Cell…” It was then that 16 took a moment to study his surroundings, and he turned to face Trunks and Hanzo after getting his bearings. “Trunks,” he exclaimed, almost sounding surprised. “What's happening? Why am I back here, where I was created?”

 

“It's good to see you again, 16,” Trunks responded, his soft voice filled with relief. “I've got a lot to explain, and not much time to explain it in, I'm afraid…”

 

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Clef stood to his feet.

 

“Tempest can't be allowed to find this place,” he said sternly, staring into space as if he was somehow able to see the mad god right before him. “Gabriel has to finish his training, and Trunks and Hanzo still haven't arrived yet.” Zellis and the others followed the Namekian warrior as he walked out to the edge of Kami's Lookout, fists clenched and body trembling slightly. “I'll do what I can to buy us some time, but if Hanzo and Trunks don't get here soon, we're all finished.”

 

Zellis stepped forward resolutely, fingers tightening around the handle of Miura's energy saber, which she held firmly in her right hand. Her eyes locked with Clef's, and some silent communication seemed to pass between them. The green-skinned warrior nodded once, smiling grimly as Zellis stood confidently by his side.

 

“Listen,” she said, turning to face Elysia and Rika one last time. “If Tempest beats us, it's up to you guys to make sure he doesn't destroy the Time Chamber.” Rika tried to protest, but Zellis continued, her voice sounding cold and hard to her own ears. “Don't you understand?! Hanzo and Trunks have to use that chamber for training, otherwise Tempest will kill all of you!”

 

Without another word, Clef and Zellis stepped calmly off from the Lookout's edge, allowing themselves to fall for quite some time before flying toward Tempest's power signature. No words were spoken between the two valiant warriors, who streaked brightly through the darkening night sky, headed for a battle that they had no hope of winning.

 

But then again, no words were necessary…

 

To be continued…

 

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In the next chapter:

 

Trunks and Hanzo rush to the Lookout for training as Zellis and Clef face off against Tempest, who has an unbelievable trick up his sleeve…

 

Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future

Chapter 19

Mad God Saga, Part VIII

“A Desperate Struggle.”

 

 

 

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