The next day.
While Marron went to the library to do her research, the others decided to go for a walk and explore this new world. They were taking a nice quiet stroll down the city when a group of girls spotted them.
"Hmm?" #17 noticed that the girls got all excited when they saw their group. Trunks and Goten grinned. They have always been popular with the girls, especially Trunks. Even here, girls seem to go crazy over them, even more so than the girls in their own timeline. Trunks fixed his hair, and Goten sprayed his mouth with a breath freshener, while #17 looked at the two young men hopelessly. Bra and Pan just looked on blankly as the mob of girls rushed at them, screaming "#17!!!!!"
"Wha...?" #17 turned around in shock. Why were the girls going crazy over *him*? Trunks and Goten blinked; Trunks' face was quickly turning very red. They watched in disbelief at the side, as more and more girls surrounded #17, screaming his name, fainting, and declared their love for him; generally worshipping the cyborg. #17's shock and bewilderment quickly turned into pleasure. He let the girls drag him away as he turned to face his companions. "Bye guys! I shouldn't let these girls down now, should I? I'll see you at the mansion tonight!"
"I don't believe it..." Trunks muttered as he and the others looked on. Bra and Pan laughed their heads off at the two 'rejects' who promptly silenced them with a smack on the head. "So... what do we do now?" Goten asked. Trunks shrugged. "Let's see what other surprises this world has to offer." They walked further into the city.
***
Late that afternoon.
Piccolo was having trouble concentrating. His meditation wasn't going well today. The feelings of unease have been increasing lately, and the fact that he still couldn't understand the cause bothered him very, very much. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, as he sensed something nearby.
Trunks, Goten, Bra and Pan had explored the city, and beyond, and now found themselves in a desert. It was very hot, and the girls, particularly Bra, were getting tired. "Oniichan," she complained, "We've flown round the world twice over already. I'm hot and hungry and I wanna go home."
"All right already," Trunks said. "Quit complaining. We're going home now," he continued, 'as soon as I can figure out where 'home' is,' he didn't say. But Bra picked it up anyway. "We're lost aren't we? WAAAHHH!!!!" she wailed. "Shut up!" Trunks demanded. "We're not lost. We're just taking an alternate route back."
Suddenly, Goten stood to attention. "What's the matter, uncle Goten?" Pan asked. Trunks and Bra stopped their bickering. Goten looked around. "There!" he exclaimed. "What?" The other three asked. "Nothing," Goten said as he dashed behind some rocks. "I just need to pee." The others fell over.
When they've gotten over that small shock, Bra resumed her complaining and wailing again, and Trunks resumed his stubborn stance on their direction. Pan sat down the ground and watched balefully as the verbal fight turned physical when Bra started kicking Trunks' shin. Trunks reacted by picking his sister up by her collars and held her away from him. Bra wailed louder and shook herself free. She then rushed at Trunks and tried to head-butt him. She managed to do it, but didn't achieve the desired result. Trunks didn't even feel a thing. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Yeah!!! Is that the best you can do?" he taunted, which only made Bra madder. She grabbed his arm and bit. Now Trunks was hurt, for Bra had really sharp teeth. "OWWW!!!" he cried out. "Let go!" But Bra only bit harder, so Trunks used his free arm to force her away by the neck. To an outsider, Trunks' act would seem violent, but Pan was used to seeing the brother and sister fight like that. They are, after all half-Saiyajin even if they are usually good-natured, and the offspring of Vegeta and Bulma at that.
Over in the distance, Piccolo was distracted from his meditation by the commotion. He opened his eyes and looked up to see a group of three people. A young man he's never seen before and two little girls whom he recognised as the daughter of Gohan and the daughter of Bulma. What were they doing in the middle of the desert with a strange man who seemed to have a really strong ki? Then his eyes opened wide as he noticed the young man had his hand on Bra's neck.
The young man seemed to notice his presence too, as he let go of the lavender-haired girl. Their eyes met, both looking at the other in surprise and suspicion. Piccolo broke contact first, looking over to Pan and Bra in concern. They seemed to be all right. "Pan, Bra, are you all right?" he asked nevertheless. He'd never be able to face Gohan if he allowed his former student's daughter to come to any harm while he was around. Pan nodded, staring at Piccolo as though she didn't recognise him. So did Bra. "Are you really Mr.Piccolo?" Pan asked, and Piccolo was taken aback. Sure, he didn't visit that often, but Pan should recognise him. After all, how many tall, bald and green aliens are there on this planet? Was it because of something this man did to her? Piccolo turned to face him. "Who are you?" he wanted to ask, but the man asked him the same question first.
Piccolo eyed him suspiciously. "I am as she said," he indicated Pan. "Her question was, are you really Piccolo?" Trunks corrected. "Well, are you?"
"Why shouldn't I be?" Piccolo retorted, not wanting to reveal too much to this suspicious stanger who sported a frighteningly high ki. Trunks shrugged, the Namekian certainly looked and spoke like Piccolo, but the ki signature was wrong. It felt like Piccolo, but at the same time it didn't. It was also far weaker then the Piccolo he knew, but this version of the ex-demon king may just be hiding his ki.
"Who I am is not important," Piccolo retorted. "What I want to know is who are you, and what are you doing with two little girls in the middle of a desert?"
"We're just taking a walk," Trunks replied. 'Taking a walk, my @$$,' Piccolo thought. 'If he doesn't want to tell, then I'll just have to make him.' He glanced at Pan and Bra. 'But first I must take these girls somewhere safe.' He walked past Trunks and snatched Pan's hand. "Come on, Pan, let's get away from here," he said in his usual harsh manner. Pan, who was still confused about this Piccolo, automatically snatched her hand away, to Piccolo's surprise, which quickly gave way to shock when he felt a firm hold on his hand which was previously holding Pan's. The lavender-haired stranger looked at him with deadly serious eyes. "Get your hands off them." he said quietly but with as much deadliness as was in his eyes. For a second, Piccolo was unnerved, but he was the ex-Demon King after all, and the Demon King will not be intimidated by a purple-haired pretty boy, certainly not! 'Not even if the guy seemed to have ki as high as Goku before he died. Gulp. And did he, just for a moment, look like a certain warrior prince? Naah... Couldn't be.'
Piccolo quickly gathered his wits together. He wasn't afraid, he convinced himself, 'and if it's a fight you want,' he thought, 'I'll give you a beating such that you'll never forget the power of the (ex) Demon King.' Little did Piccolo know how utterly wrong he was. Glancing at the two little girls staring up at him, he made up his mind. The girls must not come to any harm from the fight, so he must take it somewhere far from them. Roughly, he snatched his hand away from Trunks' grip. "If you're not afraid, follow me," he challenged, and flew up to the sky. Trunks shrugged and followed him.
Up in the sky, safely away from the two little girls, Piccolo braced himself. He stood still, almost casually, but inside he was as alert as though he was fighting Freeza himself. Trunks arrived and faced him. He was almost as casual as Piccolo seemingly was. Piccolo attacked first, landing a punch on Trunks' side, only Trunks moved to the side swiftly to avoid it. He knew Piccolo was just testing his speed. Behind him, Piccolo turned around and smiled. The kid's fast, and he wasn't even putting in very much effort in avoiding the attack. This would be a welcome challenge. He the flew with blinding speed towards Trunks, as if wanting to hit him again, but this time, when he was close enough to Trunks, Piccolo threw a ki blast instead. Trunks was thrown off guard when the blast hit him. He didn't have time to move away from it, so he just stood still and took it, only protecting himself with his ki. Piccolo had half-guessed it would happen, but he was still shocked to see the young man was unhurt by his ki blast. His ki shield was stronger, apparently, and it wasn't everyday that somebody came along and so effortlessly withstand the Demon King's attack.
"My turn," Trunks said, and before Piccolo could do anything, the young demi-Saiyajin disappeared and Piccolo doubled over in pain as several points in his body were hit by a flurry of fists courtesy of Trunks. He only stopped when Piccolo's extended arms managed to catch his. By now, Piccolo was very much in pain. He panted, and threw down his turban and cape. The Namekian welcomed the extra agility from the release of the heavy clothing. Trunks just smirked knowingly, which infuriated Piccolo. He rushed at Trunks to hit him, but Trunks managed to avoid each one of his hits, even when Piccolo started using ki blasts. By now, Piccolo couldn't take it anymore. His curiosity was gnawing at him, not to mention his awe and fear at this stranger's power. "Who are you?" he finally asked, but Trunks wasn't giving him the satisfaction on knowing just yet. "I can't tell you yet," he said, almost apologetically, remembering his discussion with Marron and the others last night. He had his own questions regarding this version of Piccolo. He certainly looked, sounded and fought like Piccolo, but he was different somehow. Weaker, and the ki signature was different. As the young man stood there and looked at him, trying to figure him out, Piccolo did the same. He tried to use his telepathic powers to read Trunks' mind. The Namekian's eyes opened wide as images from Trunks' mind flashed through his. Images of Bulma, Bra, Gohan, Goku and his lookalike, and... and.. Vegeta? Who was this young man, and why does he know Bulma, Goku and Vegeta?
Trunks, for his part, didn't appreciate people reading his mind without his permission. "Hey!" he exclaimed, and Piccolo's concentration was broken. Perhaps it was the image of Vegeta which he saw in Trunks' mind, but Piccolo suddenly felt very afraid, a fear he hasn't felt since the battle on old Namek. Almost without thinking, he threw a very powerful Masenkoseppou at Trunks, and at such a short distance it was a shockingly powerful blast.But the greater shock was that when the smoke from the blast cleared, the purple-haired young man wasn't there anymore. Instead, a young man with spiky, golden hair and an awesome golden glow surrounding his body was in his place. A Super Saiyajin. Piccolo was so shocked, he stood there frozen at the terrifying and at the same time awe-inspiring sight before him. He could feel the power radiating from the figure, who broke his almost holy imagery by breaking into a huge naughty grin at the sight of Piccolo's face.
"What's going on up there?" a voice suddenly interrupted. Trunks looked down and powered down immediately as Goten finished zipping up his pants and put a hand over his forehead as he looked up at the sky. "Ahh.. that was a relief," he muttered to himself. "Hey Trunks!" he shouted at his best friend, "Having fun all by yourself, are you?! How dare you leave me out of a fight?"
Piccolo's mind was reeling. This insanely powerful young man had a companion who was almost as strong as himself. Why hadn't he felt it before? He cursed himself. For all his training, how could he still be careless enough to let this happen? But the greater shock was when Pan happily ran to the newcomer and tugged at his shirt, leading him directly underneath them. "Uncle Goten!" she exclaimed. "Make them stop! Trunks and that Piccolo are having all the fun and they're not letting me join in," she complained.
That, coupled with the blows he received from Trunks, was just too much to take for the poor confused ex-demon king. He fell unceremoniously from the sky and landed face first on the ground.
***
Meanwhile, Marron had finished her research in the library. She's learnt quite a few interesting things about this world. On the way home, she passed by a shopping mall and couldn't resist going in.
While Marron was browsing through the clothes department, suddenly there was a commotion outside. She ran outside to see what it was. People were running for cover as chunks of rocks fell from the shaking building. The reason for the commotion immediately became clear. It was a Red Ribbon Army cyborg, who was being beaten by the Great Saiyaman.
It was clear that the cyborg was losing. Suddenly, he put his hand on his upper left chest. "I may lose, Great Saiyaman," the cyborg thundered, "but not without taking you with me!" Before the Great Saiyaman could stop him, he self-destructed, shouting "Long live the Red Ribbon Army!"
It was that explosion that caused the building to shake and threaten to collapse. Chunks of rocks started to fall from the ceiling, endangering the panicked shoppers inside. The Great Saiyaman rushed over to blast the bigger chunks into harmless clouds of dust, but there were just too many of them. He cursed himself for allowing himself to be duped by the cyborg into fighting in the city, where his movements were restricted so as not to endanger the innocent humans. The cyborgs have certainly gotten cleverer these days. Suddenly he spotted a girl who was directly in the path of a falling rock. He wanted to warn her, but she was too far away from him to hear his shouts amid the panicking crowds. Marron, who was looking around still hadn't realised the rock which was falling right where she was standing.
"Look out!" cried a voice behind her. Before she could react, the owner of the voice rushed at her and pushed her away seconds before the chunk of rock fell into the spot where she was previously standing. She turned to her saviour to thank him, and was face to face with a bald, noseless monk. Kuririn. Her father, or rather, the alternate version of her father.
"Are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded, too rattled to speak. Kuririn heaved a sigh of relief. "Listen," he said, "Can you get as far away from this building as possible? And bring the other people too. The building might collapse any second now."
"Sure," Marron nodded and hurried off to guide the panicking people away from the building.
Not far away, Gohan (aka Great Saiyaman) was freeing some people trapped between the fallen rocks. There were also others who were injured and panicking children crying and running all over the place. Kuririn rushed over to help him. They didn't have much time left before the building will collapse.
"Where's Piccolo?" Kuririn shouted. "We really need his help right now." The ex-Demon King usually turned up to help when things got too rough with the Red Ribbon Army cyborgs. This time he wasn't there. "I don't know," Gohan answered. "But I sense he's fighting someone very powerful. He may not be able to help us now."
Luckily for everybody, the Great Saiyaman and the bald monk managed to get everybody to safety before the building collapsed. By now, the police have arrived and they took charge of the situation. The Great Saiyaman disappeared. Kuririn was still there, however. Marron spotted him and went over to him. "Thank you for saving my life," she said.
Kuririn smiled. "Don't mention it." He took a closer look at Marron. "You look a little shaken. Why don't I send you home?"
"I... no, thank you," Marron politely declined. "That's not necessary, err... Mr...."
"Just call me Kuririn," he said.
"... Kuririn," Marron smiled, and introduced herself. "I'm Marron."
"Nice to meet you, Marron," Kuririn returned her smile. "I live on Kame Island," he said. Marron nodded in recognition of the name. Kuririn noticed this. "You know where it is?" he asked. She nodded. "Why don't you come over if you're free?" he offered.
"I'd love to," Marron replied, "but I must be getting home now. Goodbye Kuririn-san, and thanks for the invitation. I'll come and visit soon," she promised, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.