Converging Fates: A Leap Through Time

...Tch. How does that Bulma girl not get sick of shopping all the time?

I was bored out of my mind... Good thing I got Jaco to babysit her for now. I needed some fresh air.

Well...I don't smell anyone dangerous nearby. So they'll be fine on their own for a while, right?

...Whatever. I'm starving.

There's gotta be some creature around here I can hunt for some grub...

The heck was that?! It came from over there...!

Heh, heh, heh... And we're just getting warmed up! You scared yet?

Hand over your belongings and we'll think about letting you live!

Oh, come on. It's bad enough that we got transported to who knows where. Now we've got these goons to deal with?

We really don't have time for this... Right, Trunks?

Right. First, we need to figure out where we landed exactly, and in which timeline.

We've got some locals right here, but something tells me they're not in a helping mood... *Sigh*...

H-Hey! We're standing right here, you know! Don't ignore us!

You little...! Think you're tough, do you? We'll show you tough! This next attack's gonna be for r...

Hraah!!

Gurk?!

A bunch of bandits, huh? Geez, is there anyone in this era *not* trying to steal all the time?

(Is this guy...a Saiyan?!)

Hey, you two alright?

Wait... You're...Trunks?! You're alive?!

Huh...?

...What? Is he a friend of yours?

No, I've never met this man in my life.

...?

What are you babbling about now? You think you can just fly in, punch one of us, and get away with it?

Tch. Shut up!

GAAGH?!

If you wanna skip the yapping, I'll be happy to just start knockin' some sense into you! Bring it on!

GYAAAGH?!

...Hmph. Those guys barely put up a fight.

Now, where were we?

Thank you for helping us out.

I wasn't doing it for you. Just needed a good workout, that's all.

Well? Is it really you, Trunks? You do smell a bit different than I remember.

And weren't you with Goku? Who's this shrimp?

Sh-Shrimp?! Why, you...! You just don't know real beauty when you see it!

Tch. Didn't know shrimps were this loud.

C-Calm down, you two...

And to answer your question... Yes, I am Trunks.

But I'm afraid the "Trunks" you met was most likely a different version of me. That's been happening a lot...

A...different version...?

Wait! Don't tell me... Are you here to enter the Tournament of Time?

Tournament of Time?

This is the first I'm hearing of it... What sort of tournament is it?

Well, I'm not too sure myself, but...

I see. So fighters from all eras are being summoned to compete...

All things considered, maybe that's the reason why we ended up here...

Thanks for the rundown, Shallot.

Don't mention it. I'm in the same boat after all.

Hmmmmm...

...? What's wrong?

The "Tournament of Time"? It sounds like something I was joking about a while ago...

But who could be behind this? Grr... When I get my hands on them...

What the hell are you on about?

...Hey, Trunks. Who's this twerp, anyway? And why's she actin' all high and mighty?

Um, well... She's...

SHHHHHHHHHH!

Trunks! Come here for a second!

Huh?

What's wrong?

We shouldn't tell anyone that I'm the Supreme Kai of Time.

Until we figure out which timeline this is, there's no telling what repercussions our actions might have.

That makes sense... But if we can't tell Shallot the truth, what are we supposed to say?

Just lie or throw him off somehow! You'll think of something! Alright, let's head back.

Huh!? I can't just think of something on the spot!

(This is bad... What should I tell him?)

S-Sorry for the holdup!

Wasn't waiting that long. So, you two done chit-chatting?

Yes. Um... So, you see... This girl here's actually...

...

She's...my little sister!

...Huh?

Y-Your sister?!

Y-Yup! That's right!

What? Seriously?! *That's* the best you could come up with?

H-Hey, you're the one who sprung this on me! I had to improvise...

Ughhhh... I should've just thought of something myself. We probably look even more suspicious now...

So she's your little sister, huh...

Gotta say, you two look nothing alike... But what do I know? Probably pretty normal in your era, huh?

(He's actually buying it?!)

Whoa-whoa-WHOA!!

You're the bastards who took out our comrades, aren't you?!

You got some nerve, tryin' to pick a fight against the future winners of the Tournament of Time!

We're gonna take everything you owe, plus interest! Gehehe!

Tch... There's more of them?

It seems so. And quite a few at that...

Get back, you two. I'll take 'em all out at once!

No, I'll fight too. It'd be embarrassing to sit back and leave all the fighting to you.

And besides, I doubt a battle between fighters who were summoned to this era would really alter the history.

I guess... But I still don't think we should be meddling too much.

...?

It's too late to beg for mercy! We're gonna rip you to shreds!

Do you clowns ever shut up? Save the tough guy act, you're all going down!

NYAAARGH!

Well, that takes care of them.

Yeah.

(I could smell how strong this guy was earlier, but I wasn't expecting that...!)

I still don't understand...

This "Tournament of Time"... Who on earth would do something like this?

...

Beats me. I don't know anything about who's doing this or where they are, but somehow I'm wrapped up in it.

Sorry, do you mind if I talk to the Supr, Uh, I mean, my sister! I need to speak with my sister. Alone.

Again?! Is this all you people do in your era?

Ha, ha, ha... We, uh, just have a lot to talk about...

Do you think the person behind this tournament could be...?

No... I don't think it's him. There's too much about this that doesn't line up with his usual M.O.

I see...

We won't know for sure unless we gather some more intel, but it doesn't seem likely...

Either way, it won't do us any good to keep interfering with this timeline. We should try to lay low.

I was just thinking the same thing. Thankfully, petty brawls like the one earlier shouldn't create too big of an anomaly.

We are from a different history, and if we act carelessly without understanding the full situation here...

...we run the risk of creating an even bigger time rift.

Right. We can't just find altered points in this timeline and fix them like in our previous missions.

More importantly, we still need to find a way to get back to the Time Nest.

Alright, we should head back over to...Shallot, was it? Whatever his name is, we've kept him waiting long enough.

Oh! And since he helped us with those bad guys, maybe I should treat him to a delicious, home-cooked meal!

Huh?! I-I don't think that's a good idea... Besides, we...don't have any ingredients!

Yeah, that's true... He'll just have to wait till next time!

That was close... Shallot was about to fall victim to an even greater threat.

Sorry to keep you waiting!

Geez, took you long enough. So did you figure out who's pulling the strings?

Afraid not. Turns out my guess was pretty far off.

If he was the one doing this, I'd expect to see a few brainwashed fighters, but we haven't seen any as of yet.

Brainwashed fighters?

Hm? Oh, right... I should probably explain in case we do end up running into one.

They're...

They're powerful warriors who've absorbed energy from crystals and are enshrouded in an evil aura.

With the power of those crystals, they become even stronger. You'll never beat them with anything less than full power.

If you're ever unlucky enough to run into one, don't try to fight. Just run.

...

Shallot...?

No way! I'm not running from anyone!

B-But...

Yeah, I heard you. You said they're strong as hell, right?

But I don't care who my opponent is. I can't run away from a fight. That's not who I am.

...

Which is why if I ever see one of 'em, I'm not going anywhere. I'll hit 'em with everything I've got!

Haaahhhh... What a simpleton...

Sh-Shut it!

Hit 'em with everything you've got, huh...

...I think we've said what we needed to say. We should get moving, Trunks.

Alright. But before we go...

Shallot. How about we test our strength?

You wanna spar with me?

Yes. We won't be fighting to the death, of course.

Heh, you're on! Fighting it out with someone as strong as you sounds like fun!

Trunks?! What do you think you're doing? Didn't we say that we weren't going to interfere too much?

I'm sorry, but...I need to make sure of something. Please let me fight him!

...

Uggghhhhhh... Alright...

...!

But don't do anything that could distort the timeline or make things worse! Got it?

Got it! Thank you!

...You done talking? Let's do this, Trunks!

I'm ready! Here we go!

Alright, I think that's enough.

Haahh...haahhh... You really are strong, huh...!

Well? Did you figure whatever it was out?

Yes, I did...

I have a trusted confidant with whom I fought alongside.

Con...fih-dawnt...? Err, if you fought together, you two were like partners or something?

That's right.

And...I get the same feeling from both of you when you fight.

A feeling that you'll find a way to pull through no matter what.

(I'm not sure what's going to happen from here on out, but Shallot might just put a stop to the Tournament of Time...)

...

...? I don't really get it, but...

Anyway, I'm glad I got to duke it out with you! It was fun!

Likewise!

...Okay, Trunks. Ready to leave?

Yes, sorry that took so long.

Thank you for all your help, Shallot. Stay safe out there.

Yeah, you too. If we ever cross paths again, you better be ready for round two!

You can count on it!

And next time, I'll feed you some of my home cooking!

Huh?!

Food?! Now I really can't wait!

Sounds good, huh? You're gonna love it! Bye now!

Ha...haha... Well, I tried...

Shallot... You, uh, might want to lower your expectations. Ha, ha...

...? What do you mean?

Um, w-well... I-It's nothing! I wish you the best! Till we meet again!

What a weirdo...

Still, to think that Trunks had a little sister...and those crazy strong fighters he mentioned...

I thought getting wrapped up in this whole "Tournament of Time" mess was gonna be a drag, but...

Things might get interesting after all!

Now... I bet Bulma'll be done shopping soon. Guess I should head back!