DBX2: The Black Rose

[Vegetto]

Chapter 25: The Black Rose

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Spoiler

Trunks eyes remained narrowed, having stood completely still with his arms crossed. Two, buff humanoid men help emotionless expressions as they moved the cell housing Zamasu up the flight of stairs. The fallen Kaioshin kept a confident smirk, his eyes never leaving Genn, who stood with his arms crossed and avoiding the stare as best he could. The two soon disappeared down the hallway with the cell in tow, Trunks letting out a small sigh of relief.

"Finally don't have to listen to his annoying self righteousness anymore."

He turned his head towards Genn, raising an eyebrow.

"You alright?"

Genn slowly nodded, his head still low.

"Yeah...yeah I'm good."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, still eyeing the door frame.

"Where are they moving him to?"

The Supreme Kai of Time moved up to the table, her hands on her hips.

"We'll have him locked in a deep portion of the prison. Security cameras will keep him under constant surveillance."

The Elder Kai spoke next, taking a moment to clear his throat.

"Anywho, we should start focusing on the task at hand. This so called 'Vegetto Black' continues to rampage across the known universe. You three will need to get in there and slow him down, in order to give us time to bolster Canton City's defenses."

Kassava blinked.

"Why are we bolstering the city's defenses?"

The Supreme Kai of Time frowned.

"Because Towa is on the verge of reviving the Demon Realm using the energy she's siphoned from Black's meddling in the time stream. It's unlikely that you will stop him, but even if you do, Towa wouldn't be stupid enough to make herself a target. She will hide in the shadows, and will likely siphon the distortion energy your battle would create. We need to be ready for an invasion of Conton, as Towa would likely use her new found army to attack our base of operations directly."

The Elder Kai snorted, his narrowed eyes falling on Kassava.

"You just had to go and put our best Time Patroller in the hospital, didn't you?"

Kassava's glare immediately intensified, her eyes wide.

"Excuse me?!"

Trunks kept a frown, quickly stepping between the two.

"Now now, just stay calm everyone. We're going to handle this as best we can: we'll need to make sure Conton City has some Patrollers to defend it if things go wrong for us in there."

His attention turned to the Supreme Kai of Time.

"Chronoa, what does our remaining Patroller population look like?"

The Supreme Kai of Time frowned.

"Numbers aren't the problem, we still have well over three thousand Patrollers ready to fight. But without the elite divisions, we're looking at a fighting force that a regular Super Saiyan could tear apart in a few minutes."

Trunks nodded once.

"That's fine, issue the alert and start mobilizing the rest of the Patrol. Might as well warn the rest of the city that we're going to have to fight for our home soon."

He then turned his head to Genn.

"Genn, I need you here at the Time Nest. We're going to load into the Scroll, and you're going to call the shots. Tell us what you can see about Black's moves and his weaknesses, and give us a plan to take him out."

Genn nodded.

"Ok."

Trunks kept a flat tone.

"If things go south in there, then cut all communications and get ready to prepare the Patrol in defending the city. You'd be better off getting ready for your last stand than mourning over us."

Kassava fidgetted nervously, twiddling her thumbs as Trunks soon turned to her.

"Kass, are you ready? We might need to go all out from the start, so I want to make sure you're ready for the fight of your life."

Kassava chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Heh...I may still be a little weak from the fight, actually."

Trunks raised an eyebrow, Kassava quickly shaking her hands with a frantic tone.

"Not that I can't fight well! It's just...well...the Dragon's Fist took a lot out of me, and I just recovered from that. So I don't know how much I'll be able to do in there with you."

Trunks sighed, glancing down to the Scroll.

"That's...fine, I guess."

He reached down and grasped onto the Scroll, gripping it in one hand and holding it out to Kassava. She stared at it for a moment, listening to Trunks speak and slowly reaching out to grasp onto the scroll.

"Genn, start thinking of a way to beat him. Give us orders the minute we run into him."

The two then slowly disappeared into a blinding flash of white light, fading away shortly.

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Unmarked World, Present Timeline

Trunks stepped forward before the light had faded away, one hand reaching up to the hilt of his sword and his narrowed eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. The two had arrived in another deserted and ruined city square, devoid of any life with ominous clouds hanging over the city skyline. Kassava tensed as well, moving forward a few steps before turning her head up to a nearby building. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of a figure landing gently on top of the building, masked in the darkness of the sky yet clearly looking down upon them.

She gasped, watching the figure rapidly throw out its arm, forming a large, golden ball of energy.

"Trunks, move!"

Kassava grunted, rapidly powering up to his Super Saiyan state as the blast fired down towards the two. Trunks quickly lept to the side, sliding along the ground and leaping up at the oncoming barrage of small golden energy blasts heading towards him. Rapidly powering up to Super Saiyan as well, the two quickly moved side to side and slapped away each golden ball, skidding along the ground. Both yelped suddenly, losing their balance at the sudden explosive impact erupting only a few inches in front of them.

Kassava kept her arms raised, shaking her head and recollecting herself alongside Trunks as they stared at the source. The Saiyan warrior clad in black slowly rose to his feet, a small smirk on his face. His narrowed, turquoise eyes stared them both down in a tense face off, the flare of his golden aura still strongly resonating around his body. Trunks kept his eyes narrowed, lightly tapping onto his earpiece.

"Call the shots Genn."

Genn's timid voice soon rung out into the mic.

::He's...really strong. Just...keep your max power hidden, and wait for a good opening to overwhelm him again. That's the only way you can take him.:::

Kassava frowned, staring down but soon shifting her attention to Vegetto Black, who had come to a halt after walking a few feet closer to the two. However, he suddenly rolled both eyes in a mocking expression, lifting his right hand and examining the back of it with a bored tone.

"Where's the legendary Time Patroller?"

Kassava scoffed, her hands balling into fists.

"How do you know you're not looking at her?"

Vegetto Black's eyes shifted to her immediately, his small smirk returning.

"You?"

He burst out into an obnoxious chuckle, Kassava's narrowed eyes intensifying at the mocking.

"You're not Vegetto. What sort of fool do you take me for?"

Kassava stood with tense arms, but a small smirk formed on her face.

"One that doesn't know when to bow to his betters."

Trunks immediately frowned, his eyes shifting to Kassava and whispering to her.

"Hey...don't forget about the plan. Antagonizing him won't solve anything."

Vegetto Black's eyebrows perked up, a small hint of intrigue gleaming in his eyes.

"Oh?"

Kassava kept her head turned forward, continuing on.

"While you were out picking on the innocent and blowing up empty buildings, we were training. I've gotten stronger, after beating your little man crush in a one on one fight."

Kassava's eyes suddenly widened, blinking on in confusion as her chin was forced up. Vegetto Black now stood only a centimeter apart from her, his pointer and middle finger lightly forcing her chin up while his narrowed eyes examined her closely. A dark smirk remained on his expression, Kassava instinctively snapping her head from his grip and taking a step back.

"It doesn't seem possible with your pitiful power level as it is. But you are his student...aren't you? Kassava, is it?"

Kassava only glared in response, her arms flying up while Vegetto Black stood with a bored expression.

"How do you know your master didn't just let you win that battle? An owner must keep the dogs that serve him happy, after all."

Kassava snarled a bit, her glare intensifying.

"How are you so convinced he had to hold back in the first place?"

Vegetto Black chuckled lightly, shaking his head and gesturing towards her with his right arm.

"Because of what you are...think about it!"

Trunks glared back in response, shifting a bit to his right side and watching Vegetto Black slowly creep forward.

"No...I seek a greater prize than a couple of protégées who defend rapists and murderers. I seek the mighty hero of Toki Toki City himself, the savior of time! The man who slew the Demon God, and the fused mind of the two strongest mortals in the entire universe!"

Vegetto Black paused, glancing down to the floor.

"He and I have unfinished business, our battle rudely interrupted by my own servants. But now that he has witnessed my power, I know he'll return, stronger than ever! And when we clash once more, I know it will truly be-"

He grinned wildly for the first time, the determination clear in his ecstatic expression and holding a fist to the sky.

"Legendary!"

Kassava grunted, her aura flaring up from underneath her boots. Genn's mechanical voice rung out in her ear in response, his tone rushed.

::Kass, wait! Don't use all of your power from the start: we still don't know what he's really capable of. Just let it out slowly...wait for the right time to strike and-::

The Saiyan woman's response came in the form of a rapid surge forward, her right arm already cocked back. Trunks' eyes went wide, his hand leaving his hilt.

"Kassava no!"

Vegetto Black kept his smirk, his eyes never leaving Kassava as she approached him. He stood perfectly still, staring down as Kassava launched into a flurry of punches in his chest. Her eyes went wide at the lack of effect from her blows, instinctively stepping back and pulling her arms up into a defensive stance. Vegetto Black chuckled darkly, staring down at her with his arms at his sides.

"You're out of your league, little girl."

Kassava roared, blasting back forward and launching her fists out again. Vegetto Black's confident expression remained unchanged, his head shifting to the side and dodging each punched aimed his way, shooting up his right knee to catch the incoming kick aimed for his chest. He let out a small grunt, his leg kicking out in an extension to send Kassava flying back in the opposite direction. Trunks lept forward next, his own fists aimed at the villain's face. Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes slightly, his hands rapidly flying up and grasping onto Trunks' and keeping him contained in an armlock.

Sailing through the air, Kassava quickly recollected herself and threw both arms down towards her feet. Two medium sized energy blasts fired from the palm of her hand shortly afterwards, Vegetto Black and Trunks both turning their heads to the sight of the attacks as they struck head on, engulfing them both in a monstrous smoke cloud. Nearly reaching the end of her flight, Kassava's wide eyes turned up in time to see Vegetto Black suddenly bolt up from the top of the smoke cloud, spinning rapidly and tossing Trunks like a ragdoll straight into a collision course with her.

Trunks hacked in pain, flipping and bouncing along the ground in the opposite direction of Kassava, who crashed into a crater for only a split second before Vegetto Black reappeared a few inches behind her, his leg punting her back across the ground in the opposite direction. Spinning around from the impact of the force, Kassava struggled to regain her composure, her eyes turning up and stabilizing enough for a split second to see the image of Vegetto Black reappearing about a hundred feet in front of her, preparing to follow up on his attack.
Snarling, she rapidly pulled her legs into her chist, balling up into a sphere and shooting through the air, using her energy to push herself forward at an even faster speed than the impact of the kick. Vegetto Black's eyes went slightly wide, grunting in pain as Kassava slammed into his left shoulder within seconds, the doppelganger stumbling backwards. Kassava crashed to the floor face first, flipping along the ground while Vegetto Black shot back up to his feet, slinging his arm out. A golden hue of volatile energy encased his arm in a blade, his hateful glare strong as he bolted towards Kassava, who watched on with a shocked expression as he swung his arm down towards her.

Kassava tensed, instinctively balling up on the ground in anticipation for the cut. Her head turned up at the loud clang of metal against the energy, staring on at Trunks who now stood in between Vegetto Black and her with his sword unsheathed to block the energy blade. His arms and sword trembled under the weight of the strike, but soon pushed up on the blade. Trunks' flicked his elbow out, the hilt of the sword slapping Vegetto Black's cheek and forcing him to stumble backwards. Roaring at the top of his lungs, Trunks swung his blade in a downwards slash aimed at Vegetto Black's kneecaps, the sword being parried to the side much to his surprise by the doppelganger's retaliatory strike.

Trunks stumbled forward, his sword have swung out from his grip and sailing through the air in the opposite direction. Vegetto Black smirked, rapidly pulling his blade and cocking it back for a moment before lunging forward, the energy blade shooting forward in an attempt to stab into Trunks' back. The blade stopped within an inch of the Saiyan's back, however, Vegetto Black's eyes widening at the sight of a bright white light encasing Trunks' body immediately. He grimaced, shielding himself from the light with his arms as it cracked into multiple glass like shards that shot out into every direction, a strong kick covered in glowing blue energy soon slamming into the side of his head and sending him flying across the ground. Trunks' now blue eyes rapidly turned and followed Vegetto Black's flight pattern, the Super Saiyan Blue warrior bolting after him immediately to continue the attack.

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Kassava grimaced as she rose to her feet, rubbing the top of her head through the spikes of her hair. Her eyebrows perked up at the sound of Genn's voice urgently ringing out in her ear.

::Now Kass! Use the Kaioken now!!::

Without waiting a second, Kassava roared and threw her arms down, clenching her hands into fists. A violent surge of red energy rapidly shot up from underneath her boots, rapidly overtaking the gold and washing the atmosphere across the open planet over with a matching shade of red.

"Kaioken Times Twenty!!"

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Vegetto Black cringed heavily in pain, flipping backwards from the impact of Trunks' fist clocking him in his right cheek. He groaned as he flew backwards, slowly straightening out and his eyes slowly opening, widening instantly at the sight of an ominous red aura charging directly at him. A split second past, Vegetto Black's stunned expression staring into the eyes of a fierce glare from Kassava, only to have his vision distorted from the impact of another fist striking into the side of his head. Vegetto Black's body spun rapidly mid air, the two impact forces counteracting each other and stopping his flight. He flipped around in mid air for only a moment, the two warriors coated in red and blue energy soon teleporting behind him and launching their right and left legs into a punt to send Vegetto Black flying skyward.

Trunks threw out his arms in complete opposite directions, bright yellow energy forming into two orbs in his open palms. Clashing the palms together, the energy grew tenfold as he roared over the volatile charging of the blast.

"Final...."

Kassava cringed heavily, her hands cupped together and pulled behind her back as she squatted down. The bright red energy spiraled outward slightly in her arms, the two blasts nearly deafening as she roared at the top of her lungs.

"Kamehameha!!!"

Both blasts short forward in complete unison, Kassava's smaller red energy beam spiralling around the large massive golden energy attack fired off by Trunks. Rapidly closing in on the target above, the blast came within feet of Vegetto Black, who only threw up his arms and screamed.

"NO!!!!"

Vegetto Black twitched, the bright energy soon engulfing him completely in its violent power before erupting into a massive explosion high into the sky. Kassava and Trunks both threw up their arms in defense, the storm force winds nearly knocking the female Super Saiyan to the ground. Within seconds, the destructive force of the blast began to subside, the massive smoke cloud hanging high in the sky.

Dropping down to one knee, Kassava panted heavily and rested on the ground. Her eyes paused, however, peering up into the sky at the sudden pink glint. Blinking in confusion, Kassava watched on as the smoke rapidly dispersed, the bright and ominous pink light hanging in the sky above in its place. The small ball then rapidly shot down back towards the planet, coming only a few inches away from the ground itself before shooting across the grass towards them. Trunks grunted, quickly pushing Kassava away from him and stumbling backwards, the small pink blast of energy rapidly shooting past them and erupting into a small explosion a few hundred meters away.

Both warriors turned to see the impact of the small blast behind them, staring in awe until a sudden explosive impact in front of them forced them to turn around. Trunks gasped, his eyes wide at the sight of the doppelganger standing in the small crater a few feet away from them. Vegetto Black's now pink eyes scanned them both, the dark and ominous glow of his Super Saiyan Rose form coating his entire body with the gleam of energy particles steadily flowing around him. His confident smirk remained, glancing between them both as he straightened his body out.

"Vegetto...taught you well!"

Trunks' eyes expanded rapidly, the blue aura around his body disappating completely as he keeled forward, slouching over Vegetto Black's arm now lodged into his stomach. Kassava gasped, instinctively taking a step back, watching Trunks collapsed to the floor in his normal state while Vegetto Black turned his head to her, his tone darkening.

"But he didn't teach you everything."

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 26: The Potara Warrior

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Spoiler

"Genn...don't subject yourself to this."

Genn's narrowed eyes stared down at the Scroll, hovering over the screen while propping himself off the table with both arms while stood. His eyes followed the live stream of Vegetto Black mercilessly pummeling Kassava and Trunks around the open plain, both having reverted out of their transformed states. The Supreme Kai of Time sighed at the lack of response, her eyes narrowing.

"Trunks was very clear...we need to get ready. The Patrol won't galvanize itself."

Genn continued to stare down, his determined glare unwavering in her attempts to redirect his focus. She waited in silence for a moment, before slowly placing her hands on her hips. However, before she could speak again, the sound of Whis' cheerful voice soon rung out behind her.

"Hello everyone! I hope I'm not too late."

The Elder Kai perked his eyebrows, the Supreme Kai of Time narrowing her own and staring at Whis as he approached.

"Oh no...it's not like your absence caused us to lose two of our top Patrollers. Without your help managing the distortions, I don't have nearly enough power to fend off Towa's magic and she's about to get enough energy to break the seal on the Demon Realm!"

Whis kept a small smile.

"Well then, perhaps you should work on your mental conditioning. I was only gone for a few hours on a rather small, but important errand."

The Supreme Kai of Time kept her glare.

"What errand could've possibly be more important than protecting the timestream?!"

Whis chuckled lightly, lifting up a small, brown bean bag in his free hand.

"Curing the one who is supposed to guard it."

The Elder Kai blinked, leaning forward slightly.

"Are those...sensu beans?!"

Whis nodded curtly.

"Indeed. I noticed your medical ward relies heavily on standard, generic practices to aid fighters. Following traditional medical routine, it would take Vegetto more than months to recover from his battle with Kassava. I simply sought to fix that."

A small "fzzt" soon rung out inside of the Time Vault, Vegetto suddenly appearing from thin air and gently landing next to Whis. He fiddled with his upper navy gi for a moment, tucking it further into his sash as he checked himself over once, the scratches from his face completely healed.

"Alright Whis, I'm all dressed and ready to fight."

Whis turned his head towards Genn, his smile remaining.

"Splendid."

The angel lightly tossed the small brown bag up, Vegetto extending his arm and cupping his right hand where the bag landed neatly in his palm seconds later.

"Take these. It would seem we are a little late, and it may have cost Trunks and Kassava their lives."

Vegetto's eyes widened.

"What?"

Genn continued to stare down at the Scroll, his voice flat.

"No...they're not dead."

The group turned to face towards him, the Supreme Kai of Time blinking.

"But...he was destroying them a second ago, wasn't he?"

Genn shook his head once.

"No...if he was attacking them at full power, they wouldn't even be able to take the hits coming their way. He's holding back a tremendous amount, and he's deliberately avoiding lethal strikes."

Vegetto walked quickly up the table, his eyes turning to the Scroll in an instant.

"What's his plan?"

Genn shrugged his shoulders, the dumbfounded expression forming across his face as he turned to Vegetto.

"I...have no idea."

===================================

Kassava yelped, toppling forward and flipping along the ground. Vegetto Black's expression had dropped immensely in enthusiasm, letting out a bored sigh after lightly punting her across the ground with his right boot. He casually strode along the ground towards her body lying still on the floor a few feet away, his dual voice flat.

"So...this is the mighty Kassava? All talk, and no power to back it up?"

Vegetto Black stopped once he was a few feet from her side, looming over her as she struggled to breathe.

"I have to admit, I was expecting more of a fight out of you. You actually got a couple of hits in earlier."

He shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Who knows, maybe you weren't lying about your victory after all. But now, here you are, broken and beaten. Your ploy goes south, and you just roll over."

Vegetto Black scoffed, his eyes shifting to the side. A genuine frown formed across his face, his eyes landing on Trunks who nearly sat upright a few meters away.

"I don't know what's worse: you, or the boy over there. He even has the power of a god, but his energy is so pathetic, it doesn't make a difference what form he's using against me."

Kassava winced heavily in pain, her voice weak and labored.

"Why...don't...you...shut up?"

Vegetto Black's smirk rose at her defiance, kneeling down.

"Because...I continue to constantly evolve in this body. I have no one to share this experience with, but you and your Patrol."

He let out a mocking sigh, shaking his head once.

"You're the only real friends I have in this whole reality we find ourselves in anymore, and I know you care about me as much as I do about you."

His right hand slowly reached out, gripping onto her hair and lightly pulling her head back. Kassava yelped again, her panting increasing in the uncomfortable posture he held her in while Vegetto Black continued.

"You see, this mind does not belong to me. This body never had a soul to begin with...but the fascinating reality is that while a soul can not truly be copied or recreated...it can be preserved. The fused mind did not create a new soul, but it blended the experiences of those two into one, unified personality. That mind then did the work that magic could not: it created a vivid and unique personality within the brain just as if a soul had been present the whole time. And when my soul took this body, the mind flooded me with the personality and memories themselves...slowly changing me for the better."

He kept his smirk, the dark pink glow distorting Kassava's already blurred vision.

"The sorcerer called it 'the bleeding effect', and for awhile, I didn't believe it was truly a positive impact upon my soul. But I prefer a different term for it now, one that shows the true beauty of it all."

Vegetto Black raised an eyebrow, staring down at her.

"Can you guess what it is?"

Kassava huffed, her determination glaring through the pain.

"Disgusting."

Vegetto Black paused, chuckling at her shortly after a brief moment of silence. His wrist suddenly flicked down, Kassava's face slamming into the dirt rapidly and lifting back up in the same posture he held her in milliseconds ago. The Saiyan woman huffed, falling mostly limp while Vegetto Black spoke.

"Not quite. I consider this more of a fusion, actually. His mind and my soul, blending together in perfect harmony."

Vegetto Black's narrowed eyes watched on for a moment as he knelt beside her in silence, his smirk rising.

"What's most bizarre is that while I originally believed Vegetto was the only one who could help me grow, you two have even changed me as well. You and the boy lack the power to contend with me, but even here as you gasp for air, you still spur forth my own growth without fail and push me to greater heights. I didn't think it was possible, how such lowly mortals could even indulge my curiosity and expand my already vast intellect. Yet I find the fog of confusion clearing, my purpose clarifying as I let you continue to breathe."

He nodded once, his expression gleaming with enthusiasm suddenly as he pointed to the sky above with his free hand.

"Just as now, a wonderful idea popped into my head! If perhaps, I did give into my baser desires, and sliced both of your throats open from the start, Vegetto would've potentially lost his morale to fight. Sure, his anger would've propelled his power to perfect and glorious heights in a brief moment, but his will to continue in the long run would eventually simmer and die, along with his capability to continue to push me."

Vegetto Black turned his head back down, his dark smirk returning.

"No...I won't kill you now. But if I torture you...perhaps he will feel a greater sense of urgency. The fire of vengeance can fuel his heart, and the hope that he can save you will prevent it from dying out too quickly."

His hand left her hair shortly after, shooting down and grasping onto the back of her neck. He rose slowly to his feet, Kassava dangling in the air and gripping onto his arm weakly with both hands with her eyes tightly shut, struggling to breathe.

"The real question though, is if he favors you or the boy?"

"Put her down, Zamas."

Vegetto Black blinked, his eyes turning to his left and whirling around with Kassava still locked in his grip. His arm dropped a little, Kassava's feet touching the ground but still limp while both warriors stared at the new arrival. Vegetto stood with his own confident smirk, his arms folded in front of his chest with narrowed eyes trained on his doppelganger.

"Unless you're afraid to face me alone."

Vegetto Black's smirked returned, his arm flicking and dropping Kassava to the ground with his eyes never once leaving Vegetto.

"There's the confidence I yearned for. I'm surprised...I thought our last battle would've broken your spirit a little more."

He nodded down to the limp Kassava, who struggled to push herself upright.

"One of your dogs here claims she bested you in combat as well. Is it true?"

Vegetto's narrowed eyes trailed down to Kassava, who peered up at him with a pained expression. His eyebrow twitched for a moment, his eyes shutting as he inhaled deeply. Vegetto exhaled deeply, his eyes opening and resuming his normal, cocky expression as he stared back at Vegetto Black.

"Of course, she's a better student than you can ever aspire to be."

Vegetto Black's eyes perked, the intrigue clear in both his expression and voice.

"Oh my, what was that emotion you just showed? I could feel your energy shift from here...the walls crumbling for a brief moment when your attention left me..."

The doppelganger stared to his side, glancing between Kassava and Vegetto a couple of times, his smirk slowly returning.

"No...is this what I think it is?"

Vegetto Black chuckled darkly, shifting slightly towards Kassava.

"Then...bringing out your anger-"

He suddenly shot down towards the ground, his left knee driving straight into the small of Kassava's back. Vegetto's eyes instantly widened, the woman's screams ringing out from the new force continuously driving into her back while Vegetto Black laughed darkly over her.

"Will be easier than I thought!!"

Vegetto's eyes narrowed immediately at the sight of Vegetto Black's delighted expression, the other dual voice humored in his speech.

"I see it now! I tasted a small glimpse of your rage before, but I can feel your power mounting! Show me the hatred that burns in your heart, legendary Patroller!"

His knee dug deeper, Kassava's screams intensifying while his own expression grew darker.

"Teach me the rage that you used to destroy Frieza!"

Vegetto's narrowed eyes remained locked on the doppelganger, his arms still crossed as he stood silently. Vegetto Black continued to chuckle in amusement, but his amused expression dissipated away at the sight of Vegetto breaking out into a smirk at him.

"No."

Vegetto Black stared back in confusion, glancing down at Kassava for a moment. Her light whimpering prompted him to turn his head back up, his eyes narrowing.

"But...she's suffering?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"Yes, and she won't be able to take much more."

A small scoff came from the fused warrior, his smirk remaining as he spoke with a mocking tone.

"You've already taken my body, the lives of my elite Patrollers, and now my family. Steal from me as much as you want, Zamas, I don't care anymore."

Vegetto Black frowned in response, watching Vegetto uncross his arms.

"But if you're sure you can win this fight with petty theft..."

Vegetto raised his right arm, waving the doppelganger on.

"Come prove it."

Kassava's screams diminished, the pressure along her back receding. Vegetto Black slowly stood up to his feet, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

"Fine!"

He raised his arms, mirroring Vegetto's stance in pulling his right arm back.

"Let's see what humility has taught you."

Vegetto kept his smirk, his own arms tensing. A small but violent white aura rapidly surged from underneath his boots, lightening sparking out around his body yet his hair and eyes remained completely unchanged. He shifted into a defensive stance, bending two fingers and holding his position.

==================

The Supreme Kai of Time blinked at the sight on the screen.

"Base form?"

Genn raised an eyebrow as well.

"His power raised a little bit...but...not much. Not much at all."

===================

Vegetto Black stared blankly for a moment at the sight, his arms lowering slightly. He paused, taking a moment to make sure Vegetto wasn't planning to attack first. With Vegetto's stone expression and lack of movement, Vegetto Black chuckled and leaned forward slightly.

"You're joking? I can sense your energy: you'll need a lot more to fight me, Vegetto."

Vegetto smirked back in response.

"I think this will be enough."

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes into a strong glare, bolting forward off his feet at the challenge. He grinned manically, instantly closing the gap to Vegetto and lunging forward with a right fist aimed at the fused warrior's cheek. His eyes soon widened, his fist neatly landing into the palm of Vegetto's white glove. Vegetto Black winced slightly, spinning around as his arm was redirected, Vegetto neatly locking his arm behind his back and his body turned to the opposite direction from where he was facing only a second ago. Vegetto Black yelped, a small boot kicking into his backside and forcing him to stumble face first onto the ground.

Vegetto Black's eyes remained wide, rapidly whirling back around and shooting up to his feet in an instant, his dark and ominous aura flaring up underneath his boots. His mouth hung open slightly with a stunned expression, staring back into the confident glare of Vegetto, who stood with his arms at his side.

"Something wrong?"

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes at the jest, lunging forward once more and launching his fists out in a second attempt to swipe at Vegetto's face. His first strike sailed past the target, his eyes slightly widening at the sight of Vegetto's neck tilting only slightly to the side to dodge the blow, easily dodging the following punch and lightly stepping back.

"Right, left, right left."

Vegetto Black's arm movements followed in near perfect synchronization with Vegetto's words, the fused warrior chuckling as he suddenly pulled both of his legs up into a small leap off the ground.

"Sweep!"

Vegetto Black's own left leg swung underneath Vegetto's a second later, Vegetto's arms already cocked back and his hands clenched into fists. His arms shot forward one at a time immediately after landing on the ground, each one strike Vegetto Black square into his cheeks, the doppelganger stumbling back from the force of the blows.

Vegetto Black shook his head violently for a moment, no damage apparently across his face. His eyes remained wide, however, watching on while Vegetto's smirk grew.

"You're not the only one who's done their homework, Zamas. I looked up all of the Kaioshin training routines at home last night, and studied plenty of combat lessons that your masters taught you. And let me tell you..."

His eyes sharpened.

"Not even the children were as sloppy as...whatever that was."

Vegetto Black stared back with wide eyes, the shock clear in his expression.

"How...how did you get this strong?!"

Vegetto kept his smirk, his arms at his side.

"You think it's power that humiliated you? You villains never do take true pride in your fighting skills: it takes more than eyesight and a strong arm to be a warrior."

Vegetto Black's eyes narrowed, his own smirk returning.

"Another phrase from the past. I thought you were more than just a memory."

Vegetto's eyes shifted slightly, turning towards Kassava's general direction but carefully avoiding looking at her directly.

"I am...thanks to a little help from my family."

His eyes quickly darted back to Vegetto Black.

"But I've heard enough of your pathetic insults. I'll give you till the count of ten to tap into your full power."

Vegetto Black kept his smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"And if I refuse to play along?"

Vegetto mimicked the doppelganger's confident smirk, crossing his arms.

"Then you die a little faster than you're supposed to."

Vegetto Black's smirk vanished, his stern eyes studying Vegetto intensely. He let out a small sigh moments later, a small grin etching across his face.

"Incredible. In just a short period of time, you've mastered a level of power that puts you one step closer to my capability..."

He raised his arms slowly, clenching his fists together tightly.

"Fine...I'll show you my true power. Let us continue this wonderful journey of growth together, and build a new future for this entire universe!!"

Vegetto remained still, watching on as Vegetto Black's aura rapidly expanded outward, storm force winds accompanying the thunderous roar shaking the ground itself. 

=============================

The Supreme Kai of Time frowned at the screen.

"What the hell is he doing?! He could've taken Black out, but he's just going to let him power up instead?!"

Whis kept his smile.

"Why not? He's clearly in control of this fight."

The Supreme Kai of Time turned to Whis, her voice frantic.

"Because he's had every opportunity to put him down now! It's about their damn love for battle; that's the only reason this universe is still in jeopardy!"

Whis chuckled lightly.

"Oh my, aren't we a little dramatic today? Come now Chronoa, you don't truly believe Vegetto had an opportunity to take out Zamasu, do you?"

The Supreme Kai of Time blinked once in confusion, but soon narrowed her eyes.

"Huh? Of course I do! He was picking Black apart without even transforming into Super Saiyan!"

Whis nodded once.

"In terms of control, yes. But Zamasu is less experienced than your top patroller: he only saw the misdirection and counters as a true power advantage."

He nodded down to the Scroll.

"Look closer. He doesn't have a scratch on him: the only true damage Vegetto dealt is to his pride."

The Supreme Kai of Time blinked, watching on as Vegetto Black's aura continued to surge outward and mount in his screaming. Whis narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Vegetto who stood with crossed arms and a smirk through the storm force winds.

"There is a latent power hidden within that fused body, and Vegetto knows it. After all, it is his body."

The taller angel coughed and covered his mouth for a moment before continuing.

"However, Zamasu has steadily drawn out that energy, perfectly gauging his opponent and keeping pace with the power any enemy throws his way. Unlike Kassava, who followed your short sighted theory on combat and nearly got herself killed along with Trunks, Vegetto is pacing himself against that potential. Goading Zamasu into bringing out that maximum power through mind games of his own so that he can fight him without worrying about a second wind."

Genn frowned, still staring down at the Scroll.

"And what if that potential is too much for Vegetto?"

Whis kept a flat tone.

"Then they'll probably die."

Genn peered up from the scroll, staring at Whis with slightly wide eyes. Whis blinked in confusion, staring back at Genn.

"What?"

============================

Vegetto Black's aura receded with the storm force wind, the ominous surge of power contained to a small flame like glow around the doppelganger's body. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply through his nose. The flare of the ominous dark pink aura slowed as the wind entered his nostrils, violently surging once he exhaled in a quick expulsion of the air from nostrils. His narrowed eyes opened after the breath, his arms extending out.

"So...what do you think?"

Vegetto kept his smirk, uncrossing his arms. Vegetto Black's confident grin vanished at the sight of the fused warrior's expression, watching on as Vegetto raised his clenched fists together.

"Just as I thought."

Wind surged out from around his boots, shooting up as a bright white light began to encase Vegetto's body. His dual voice echoed above the wind, amplifying.

"You're nothing!!"

Vegetto Black grunted, sliding backwards along the ground from the force of the wind as the light suddenly exploded outward in small little shards, Vegetto's blue aura soon encasing his body with the shining gleam. The blue glow of his energy intensified, pockets of white lightning sparks surging out around his body. His eyes sharpened into a stern stare, both of his now blue bangs shooting up into the bundle of his spiky hair while his smirk remained.

Vegetto Black's eyes remained wide, staring on at the small sparks of lightning swirling around the blue aura.

"What...form is that?"

Vegetto stifled a small chuckle, his smirk growing.

"You've already seen the power of Super Saiyan Blue. Godly ki, powering the legendary transformation of our warrior race."

He glanced down, his clenched fist raising up.

"This...is the power of a god, amplified by Super Saiyan 2!"

Vegetto Black stared on with wide eyes, having little reaction to the small surge of wind ruffling his dark gi instantly after the revelation. His wide eyes turned down, a growing pain mounting in his stomach drawing his attention, his head whipping to the side from another fist slamming into the side of his cheek moments later. Vegetto Black yelped, flipping backwards and colliding with the hard ground.

Flipping upwards, he surged with dark pink energy and rapidly whirled around. However, he quickly stopped in place, almost colliding face first into Vegetto's stoic chest inches from his face. He blinked in confusion, leaping a small distance back and shaking his head to recollect his sight. Vegetto Black panted lightly, taking a moment to stare down Vegetto, who casually stood with his arms at his sides with a confident smirk.

"I'll give you a chance: give up."

Vegetto Black huffed, his eyes narrowing and clenching his fists and remainining silent while Vegetto cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey...did you know that your nose is bleeding?"

Vegetto Black blinked, his right hand reaching up and lightly touching his upper lip. His eyes went wide at the sight of a small red stain on the tip of his finger, Vegetto's voice soon ringing out after it.

"Clean yourself off. You're a disgrace."

Vegetto Black only snarled in response, bolting forward and launching into a flurry of punches and kicks. His flying strikes each landed in perfect precision, his speed slowing however at the lack of damage inflicted from the blows. Vegetto remained completely still, his smirk widening as each blow failed to even phase him, his sharp glare contrasting the fear growing in Vegetto Black's wide eyes. The doppelganger soon pulled back, taking another huge leap backwards. He threw both of his arms out in completely opposite directions, two massive spheres of pink energy forming in each palm before bringing the ends clashing together in a volatile surge of energy. Vegetto's smirk shifted into a frown, his stern eyes watching the light in the area sucking into the black and pink energy sphere growing in Vegetto Black's hands as he pulled both behind his back.

"Final Black Kamehameha!!!"

Vegetto Black launched both arms forward, the massive torrent of energy firing forth and tearing into the ground. Kassava and Trunks both watched with wide eyes, instinctively shielding themselves as the entire ground beneath them shook. Vegetto, however, stared down the approaching beam and scoffed, his dual voice drowning out in the energy.

"What a ridiculous name."

Vegetto soon crossed his arms, suddenly bolting up into a blue dash as the monsterous black and pink energy beam fire through the air where he stood milliseconds ago and continued onward across the ground. Kassava yelped, a few meters away from the beam and toppling backwards along the ground from the winds blasting outwards from the beam itself, along with Trunks shooting in the opposite direction. The beam soon curved upwards, spiralling high through the clouds above and traveling into the cold depths of space, disappearing shortly from sight.

Vegetto Black panted, his arms still outstretched. He held a small smirk, his eyes trained on the plume of smoke in front of him, but soon turned his head up at the sound of Vegetto's shouting.

"So...did you just assume that I was going to let you hit me with that ridiculous attack?"

Vegetto Black's mouth hung open, watching Vegetto's aura disperse the smoke along the ground as he gracefully landed on uprooted ground left in the wake of the blast.

"Or were you so desperate to land a blow, you forgot you had to actually aim?"

Vegetto Black took a small step back, his eyes still wide as Vegetto slowly walked forward, uncrossing his arms.

"What's wrong? You're the one who started this game."

The fused warrior came to a halt a few feet in front of Vegetto Black, who tensed and held his arms up in a defensive stance.

"But the game isn't very fun when you're losing, is it? All that talk of growth and enlightenment, but when you're facing the humiliation and pain firsthand, you cower in fear."

Vegetto Black cried out in pain, Vegetto's right hand now gripping the doppelganger's right forearm. Vegetto's left hand suddenly shot down in a fist down into Vegetto Black's right elbow, the arm snapping and crumpling from the bone shattering in the arm. Falling limp, Vegetto Black whimpered and collapsed to the ground on both knees, Vegetto's glare strongly locked on him.

"You've always been a close minded fool, Zamas. You don't want to truly grow stronger: all you care about is winning."

His left arm extended outward, a small glow of bright blue energy forming at the end of his palm inches from Vegetto Black's face.

"Enjoy your stay in Hell."

Vegetto Black twitched, struggling to turn his body and swing his good arm up in a final strike of retaliation. However, the massive blue sphere of energy fired before the blow struck, the energy tearing into the doppelganger's black gi while his one arm struggled to push at the energy burning into his skin. He howled in pain, his entire body blasting backwards on the ground as the energy ball carried him forward, rising into the air and soon disappearing into the bright blue explosion resonating high in the sky.

Vegetto's narrowed eyes scanned the plume of smoke for a few seconds, his frown remaining across his face. He stood completely still, the sparks of lighting still surging strongly around his aura as the only sound ringing out. His eyes perked suddenly, gasping as he quickly reached down into his sash and digging for the brown bag he tucked away earlier.

"The sensus..."

His hand came up empty, his narrowed eyes turning back to the sky and his frown remaining.

"Damnit..."

==========================================

Unknown Regions of Space, Present Timeline

A soft "fzzt" rung out a few meters above the familiar palace's balcony, the wind soon producing a humanoid life form seconds later. Vegetto Black's heavily damaged and singed form soon crashed onto the ground face first with a hard thud, the doppelganger groaning out in pain. He cringed, his entire body twitching as he struggled to push himself up right with his one good arm. His pink eyes landed on the red high heels a few inches in front of him, the woman's voice over his head flat as she spoke.

"Still don't want me intervening?"

Vegetto Black only scoffed in response, soon rolling onto his side and sitting upright on the ground, his legs splayed out. The entire upper portion of his dark gi had been ripped or burned off, his bare chest littered with scratches and burn marks, his hair darkening back into a black shape and his ominous rose aura dissipating away as he descended back into his normal state.

"I had it under control."

Towa shook her head, turning her back to Vegetto Black.

"If it wasn't for me, that blast would've killed you. You're lucky he tried to kill you with a flashy technique that could hide my magic."

Vegetto Black kept his frown, but his eyes turned at the sound of a small bag landing in between his outstretched legs on the floor.

"Take some of those."

Vegetto Black grunted.

"Why?"

Towa turned her head slightly.

"Because the reason why you nearly got obliterated was because you forgot about Saiyan biology. Vegetto recovered from a near death experience, he even told you that he was beaten by the girl. Goku and Vegeta may have pushed their bodies to dull effects of Zenkai, but Vegetto's cells are not the same. Fusion creates fresh, biological cells from the hosts' design, which means Zenkai greatly raised his power to incredible heights."

Vegetto Black stared at her back with narrowed eyes, Towa still facing forward as she continued.

"But your mistake means nothing now. What applies to him will also strengthen you. Take those beans, grow stronger from the experience."

Vegetto Black's eyes shifted past her shoulder, growing wide at the rotating oval forming from the black clouds overhead. Red lightning began to pour out from the center, spiraling outward shortly into a brief torrent of wind. Hundreds of small, black silhouettes shot forward from the center, the animalistic roar of the beings ringing out in the sky while Vegetto Black spoke.

"Is that..."

Towa nodded once.

"Finally, after all these years, the time has come. Your skirmish was the last bit of energy needed to break the seal."

She turned fully, staring back at Vegetto Black who slowly rose to his feet.

"The Lords of the Demon Realm will keep our army in check, and we will take a few days to prepare our forces. Recover your strength, for we march on Conton City when you are ready to lead your new army."

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 27: In Pursuit of Heroism

==============

Spoiler

It took only three days to get everyone out.

Now that this Demon army has arrived in the timestream, Trunks made it a priority to get anyone who didn't want to fight out of the city. The training for those that stayed and the rest of the Patrol starts tomorrow, to get them in shape for the threat we face. And he's asked me to help train them.

I should be grateful for this chance, but I can't help but feel I shouldn't go. I've spent the last ten years searching for a way to better myself, and when I thought I had an answer, it turns out to just be a convenient truth. The hero who became more than just himself and saved the entire universe...is nothing more than a warrior bent on seeking the greatest challenge he can find. I thought it was simply a vice of his at first, where he coped with the evil in his heart and somehow used it to...find peace in his life. But the first time I saw my hero in action, those evils took form in a way I can no longer deny. How he stood in defiance of evil, but for his own reasons...not for anyone else. He was willing to let his own family die at his feet...just to stop Zamasu from having a victory over his pride. Instead of a true hero, he was but a lesser evil, standing in the face of a greater one.

Perhaps, that is all I'll ever be as well: an evil that can never truly be redeemed. This struggle for something more...maybe it will never bring about the change I hope it will. But I feel close...closer than I've ever been to finding a way to wash this guilt away once and for all.

So now here I sit, in this quiet apartment, staring into a television screen on this scroll. In search of a new path...starting from the beginning. Vegetto may not be the solution I'm looking for, but those who gave him life may hold the secret I'm looking for. If I could just...

"How does this one look?"

Genn's mind immediately went blank at the sound of Kassava's voice, his head turning up and to the side. He looked her over once, taking note of the rather plain ensemble of her fitted black t-shirt, tight jeans that left her ankles exposed, and an ordinary pair of white sneakers. Genn shrugged his shoulders once, turning back around on the couch he sat on with a flat voice.

"Looks a little simple."

Kassava frowned at the lack of enthusiasm for a moment, fidgeting at the end of her shirt.

"Yeah...but he'd probably like simple a little more, don't you think?"

Genn remained still.

"Yeah."

An awkward silence hung over the room for a few seconds, Kassava peering over Genn's shoulder at the scroll. She kept her frown, watching him sit attentively while she spoke.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be a little happier about this."

Genn sighed.

"It's not about me, Kass. Do you even know if the place is still open? The city's been evacuated, and there's an army on its way. Instead of getting ready for it...you two are going out on your date while Trunks is doing everything he can with the Kai of Time before we start training tomorrow."

Kassava narrowed her eyes.

"Well...you're just sitting around here, moping again. How exactly is that helpful?"

Genn bowed his head slightly.

"It's not...but if I had the power to save the universe like you two do, then maybe I would be out there, making a difference."

Kassava rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Right...because there's nothing you can do from the Time Nest like forming battle plans, planning ambushes, or learning more about techniques that can make you stronger."

She reached up, scrunching her nose and rubbing her forehead in her agitation.

"You've been making a difference, Genn. Why the hell won't you take a little credit for once and stop beating yourself up?"

Genn raised his head, his voice raising for the first time.

"Because I didn't do it, damnit!!"

Kassava blinked, watching Genn slowly retreat a little bit.

"I always sit on the sidelines...giving you ideas. But you almost died last time because I couldn't think of a new plan...and even if it worked the first time, I can't keep doing this. I see you succeed, and I feel a small sense of pride for helping...but when it fails, the guilt is so much stronger. I'm a failure when you fail, and a failure when you succeed. The glory and the credit goes to you...not me."

Kassava's eyes instantly narrowed once again, her voice low.

"Really? So that's what this is all about: you don't get to be the star of the show and that makes you a failure? All that matters is being famous and recognized?"

Genn kept his head low.

"You know it's not about that, Kass."

Kassava snorted.

"Then what is it about? Because all I'm hearing is a spoiled child, whining about not getting the attention he wants."

Genn peered up from the couch, turning to meet Kassava's gaze head on.

"What did you feel when you beat him for the first time, then?"

Kassava locked her eyes with his, her voice flat.

"Pride."

Genn nodded.

"In what? Winning over a legend? Doing what everyone said was impossible?"

Kassava shook her head, smirking.

"Of course not! It's not about beating him or how I look in other people's eyes, but winning for myself. I lost so many times up until then, against him, against that other guy. hell, I couldn't even do some of the training right...but once I beat him for the first time....I felt this rush of confidence. Like I proved all of the doubts in my head wrong, and I was finally worth something."

Her smirk had risen to a grin, her eyes lifting a bit to the ceiling.

"And he believed in me the whole time...even when I thought he was lying or just playing me for a fool. Both of you did so much to help me reach that..."

Kassava's expression immediately dropped, her eyes turning back down as the realization slowly hit her. She met Genn's pained expression head on, her voice lowering at the sight.

"...goal."

Kassava instinctively turned her head away in shame, dodging Genn's stare and fiddling with the end of her shirt again.

"Sorry."

She peered up slowly, seeing that Genn had turned back around in his seat. She lifted her head fully at the sight, staring down as Genn spoke with a flat tone once more, his face hidden.

"It's fine. You were always the talented one...and I'm glad you've come into your own a little more. But I have work to do...I want to experience that feeling as well. And I won't do that if I'm only claiming victories through you."

Kassava kept her frown, turning slightly on her heel but perked her head up a bit at the continuation from Genn. His voice came out mostly flat, but the attempted enthusiasm could be felt in the tone.

"Have fun on your date."

Kassava paused, her head still turned forward, but lifted her lips into a small half smile. Her hand gripped onto the door knob, holding it tightly before she spoke.

"He's not so bad, you know. Just needs a little work, like you did."

Genn let out a small sigh, his head still hung low.

"Yeah, I know. But he's not what I wanted him to be."

Kassava nodded once in response, lightly turning the knob and slipping out the door shortly after to leave Genn alone in the apartment.

===========================

Present Timeline, Unknown Regions

The crackle of thunder surged strongly overhead, the normally dark open skies of the planet now covered with black clouds looming over the desert. Waves of nearly unrecognizable humanoid beings clad in white, primitive battle armor knelt down onto one knee, their heads bowed to hide their faces from sight. A lone strip of open walkway split the two nearly infinite seas of kneeling demons, Towa leading Vegetto Black across the way. The fully recovered doppelganger looked on, his eyes shifting around to take in the sight of the massive army while Towa spoke.

"What do you think of your new army?"

Vegetto Black scoffed, turning his narrowed eyes to her back.

"Weak."

Towa's lips rose into a small smile.

"Their individual strength means nothing. Their purpose is merely to wear down the stamina of the Patrol, nothing more. You have yet to meet the strongest warriors of our race."

Vegetto Black's eyes shifted to the side, his frown remaining.

"This better not be a waste of my time. The Patrol valued stopping me over your realm's revival; surely that must speak on the strength of your people."

Vegetto Black's eyes lifted past Towa, watching her come to a halt now that the two had arrived at the end of the pathway. He stood silently at his side, taking in the sight of five new beings standing together in the darkness. The middle demon stood hunched forward, both hands using his cane to stay upright. He soon lifted his right hand, twitching heavily during the slow swipe that dispelled the dark plume of smoke masking the group.

The bright glow of the older demon's red pupils expanded slightly, his half smile strong while he locked his eyes onto Vegetto Back. The doppelganger flinched slightly, his dual voice flat.

"Who are these people?"

Towa frowned immediately, dropping down to one knee and bowing her head.

"Forgive my protegee's disrespectful behavior, grandfather."

Vegetto Black cocked an eyebrow, watching Towa kneel but soon turning back to the older demon who spoke next.

"It's quite alright. It has been sometime since I have stepped foot in the mortal world: I suppose I should expect the weaker races to be ignorant of their true masters."

Vegetto Black's eyebrows dropped into a strong glare, a scoff escaping his lips.

"No one is my master."

The older demon kept his smile.

"This is the last time I will forgive your arrogance. Kneel."

Vegetto Black's smirk only rose, a dark pink and purple aura rapidly rising up from his boots. Towa's eyes went wide, nearly toppling over to the side from the winds that soon followed the massive surge in power, quickly bolting up to her feet and moving towards the group of demons. The army a few feet behind also turned their heads up at the surge of power, watching on as sparks of black lighting began to surge around Vegetto Black's aura.

The doppelganger kept a confident smirk, both of the bangs hanging in front of his forehead now up into the spiked bundle of pink hair atop his head, his eyes in a strong, icy glare. Each of the new demons flanking the sides of the older man held flat expressions, clad in extravagant variations of cloaks and robes. Towa stood next to the only other female of the group, her eyes still wide and turning to the older demon that smiled back at the newly transformed Vegetto Black.

"You dare bark orders to a god, old man?!"

The older man's eyes shifted to the side, turning to the female demon next to Towa.

"Putine."

The female demon only nodded once in response, stepping forward. She clutched onto her sceptar, a long pole with three daggers floating around a single orb at the tip. Long red markings in slits ran down her cheeks from the bottoms of her eyes, the female demon clad in a black and gold dress with a large "P" in the center of an ornate belt. A pair of Potara earrings hung from her long pointy ears, as well as another pair hanging from two golden metal cuffs locked around her arms at the bicep.

Vegetto Black scoffed, turning his eyes to Putine with clenched fists.

"So? You think you have what it takes to battle with Super Saiyan Rose 2?"

Putine nodded curtly.

"It won't be much of a battle."

Vegetto Black bolted forward, rapidly closing the distance to Putine and crouching down with his right fist pulled back. The wind shifted, however, Putine's eyes leaving the image of Vegetto Black in front of her and turning around to easily catch Vegetto Black's fist aimed at the small of her back. The doppelganger's eyes instantly went wide, the black lightning striking at Putine's shoulder and marking the gold from its impact. Putine frowned, staring down at the mark for a moment before turning back to Vegetto Black, her scepter spiraling around and smacking Vegetto Black in the side of his head.

The doppelganger winced as he flipped backwards, skidding to a halt on the ground seconds later and standing upright. He panted lightly, his eyes wide in a confused rage and watching Putine standing casually in front of the other demons.

"You should surrender. It'd be a shame if I had to damage that pretty face of yours."

Vegetto Black snarled, raising his right arm out with an open palm. A large blast of pink energy soon shot forward, rapidly closing in on Putine who flicked her wrist, the scepter slapping the blast away. Her eyes widened, however, rapidly spinning around to block the incoming kick aimed at her chest, her forearm parrying Vegetto Black's leg away. The doppelganger launched into a flurry of strikes shortly after, Putine slowly lowering her intensity after dropping her scepter and beginning to smoothly block each blow as she found her rhythm. She held a warm smile, soon stalemating Vegetto Black and locking his arms with hers at the elbow. The doppelganger struggled to break free, his narrowed eyes staring down at the entanglement while she extended her pointer and middle fingers out, lightly forcing Vegetto Black's chin up to meet her narrowed eyes.

"Relax...take it nice and slow. Don't hurt yourself."

Vegetto Black grunted, snapping his arms down and breaking the lock instantly before lunging forward once more with a right punch. His eyes went wide shortly after, Putine's own fist having connected to his abdomen in the time it took for him to throw the punch. He stumbled forward slightly, clutching onto his stomach and dropping down to his knees in pain, cringing heavily and maintaining his transformation.

"Enough."

Vegetto Black panted heavily, his eyes turning up to see Putine bow her head respectfully and step back into line with the other four demons. The older demon's smile had lowered into a frown, looming over Vegetto Black with his cane now a few inches from the doppelganger's head.

"Your kind has rested in a cradle of power for too long. It is time you remembered your place."

Vegetto Black stared back up in frustration, watching the older demon continue.

"I am Mechikabura, master of the Demon Realm. You will have the privilege to lead my army into battle against the Time Patrol, but you are no king. The power of a god runs strong through your kind now...but you are still simple mortals."

He turned his head slightly, gesturing to the four demons behind him.

"These...are my faithful subjects. Like you...they possess the power of a god, but in much stronger amplifications than your primitive bloodline can handle."

Towa bowed her head once more.

"Grandfather, please. It would be an honor to have your aid in battle...we aren't strong enough to defeat the Patrol."

Mechikabura slowly turned towards Towa, staggering in his shuffle toward her. Towa's eyes shifted, watching him come to a halt a few inches from her with a small smile.

"My beautiful granddaughter...you have grown much stronger than I had anticipated. You have done us a great service...and it is time you realized your potential."

Towa blinked.

"My...potential?"

Mechikabura curtly nodded, his left arm reaching up. His hand twitched heavily, grasping onto Towa's and passing a surge of dark energy from his arm into hers. Towa gasped, watching the mounting darkness soon overtake her entire arm, engulfing her body shortly after in an ominous glow. Vegetto Black slowly descended down to his normal state, watching on with wide eyes as the glow began to fade, leaving behind a nearly completely different Towa altogether. Her white hair had grown out, extending past her back in curly locks while a single long bang hung from the side of her face, resting onto her shoulder. Two white horns sat atop her head, adorned by a golden headdress covering a small portion of her hair. Two long, red diamond markings covered the side of her eyes, along with a pair of purple Potara earrings now dangling from her pointy hears. Her wide eyes scanned her arms, now covered with black sleeves and another pair of Potara earrings dangling from golden cuffs around her arms. She soon shifted her attention down, taking note of the new black dress that replaced her half cloak while Mechikabura spoke.

"You have earned the prestige to be a true Demon God, granddaughter."

Towa blinked, staring back at him.

"A Demon God?"

Mechikabura nodded.

"With this, you and your servant should be more than capable of defeating the Time Patrol."

Towa bowed, her voice flat.

"But what of you? Surely you wish to seek revenge on Chronoa?"

Mechikabura turned his head away, stepping to the side with his cane.

"When the time is right, my dear Towa. For now...you and the fallen Kaioshin have a war to fight. I must see to reversing my age...but I will be watching your battle with great interest."

Towa nodded, keeping her head bowed.

"As you wish."

======================================================

Present Timeline, Conton City

I should've never made that deal.

Vegetto kept his arms crossed, his back pressing into the hard stone of the restaurant he stood outside of. His eyes briefly scanned the empty city streets for a moment, returning to his thoughts shortly after a brief look over for Kassava.

Could've promised her godly ki...perhaps more personal instruction. Maybe even finding a better job for the degenerate brother of hers or helping him do whatever it is he wants to do.

His eyebrows perked up, his head turning.

"That's it."

Vegetto's eyes instantly landed on the stone statue at the center of the city, his smirk rising.

I'll just have them erect a statue of him. We'll make up a story about how he beat Zamasu when this is all said and done, and he'll have that hero's welcome he wants so bad. That'll be my ticket out of this dinner date.

Vegetto turned his head, noticing Kassava casually skip up to him with her hands in her pockets. He slowly uncrossed his arms, watching her approach with a small smile.

"Oh hey...I'm glad you're here."

Kassava blinked, a large smile soon forming across her expression.

"Really?"

Vegetto's smile left, however, a slightly perplexed stare replacing the enthusiasm he had seconds ago.

"Yeah...is there something wrong with that?"

Kassava quickly shook her head, scratching the back of her head.

"No no....I just thought you didn't really want to come."

Vegetto kept his eyes trained on her, his expression softening.

"Well...I kind of don't. But I have a better idea, some other way I can pay you back."

Kassava held a small frown, but kept her eyes trained on Vegetto.

"Like what?"

Vegetto half heartedly smiled, the determination clearly wavering in his speech patterns.

"I thought...well...maybe I could help you and your brother both out instead with this...plan I came up with."

Kassava turned her eyes to the side.

"Oh...I see."

Vegetto stared down at her for a moment, the two sharing a small silence. He furrowed his brow for a moment, his dual voice also lowering a bit.

"I take it you're not interested?"

Kassava nodded once.

"I mean I am. But...I just didn't really want to talk about him tonight."

She peered back up at him.

"One of the things you told me to work on was to find my own reason for doing things. So yeah...I want to help Genn. I want to help Trunks...and I want to help you. I want to be there for all of you."

Vegetto stared back into her eyes, the Saiyan woman smiling slightly.

"But what I want for me, is for you to keep your promise. And buy me dinner."

Vegetto paused for a moment, offering a warm smile in response and nodding his head once.

"Alright..sounds fair to me."

Kassava raised an eyebrow, watching Vegetto as he moved towards the door.

"You're not upset?"

Vegetto shook his head once, keeping his smile.

"Not at all. I like that you're finally taking charge for yourself around here."

Kassava slowly smiled, watching Vegetto open the door and gesture towards the open entry.

"After you."

Kassava bowed her head slightly, stepping into the restaurant and Vegetto soon following after her, the door shutting behind them both.

=========================================

::Sir...it doesn't look good at all.::

Trunks narrowed his eyes, his eyes staring into a blank, black screen. The half Saiyan stood with the Supreme Kai of Time and Whis in the Vault, Trunks holding onto his earpieces to make out the mechanical voice whispering into his ear.

"Can you turn on your scouter? I need to see the situation for myself."

::...let me get to a higher vantage point.::

Trunks remained still, the earpiece falling silent for a few minutes. His eyes shifted slightly at the sound of the voice struggling to climb rock during the duration, his eyebrows perking once the voice came through a little louder.

::Got it. Video feed coming online....now.::

The screen on the Scroll flickered to life directly after the statement, Trunks' eyes immediately widening at the sight. His eyes first picked up on the near endless sea of kneeling warriors, but quickly turned to the sight of the dark pink speck suddenly flaring up in the center of the crowd. His narrowed eyes followed the movements of the energy, his frown deepening at the sight of Vegetto Black's quick defeat at the hands of the new demon arrival.

Trunks leaned forward for a moment, his voice low and flat.

"Get out of there. Now."

::On it.::

Trunks watched as the view rapidly turned around, carefully shooting forward with a low sound but propelling away from the world as quickly as possible. Trunks reached up, flicking a small switch on the side of the scroll and turning away from the screen as it lost its image, facing towards the Supreme Kai of Time.

"That army is much larger than ours, Supreme Kai."

The Supreme Kai of Time frowned as well, her eyes turning up to Trunks.

"And Zamasu...he didn't even hurt one of those demons. They're much stronger than we can prepare for."

Trunks inhaled deeply, his eyes turning to Whis.

"Please, Whis."

Whis blinked.

"Hmm?"

Trunks' eyes only narrowed even more.

"We need your help on this one. Those demons...if they attack us, we'll be wiped out. Vegetto won't be able to stop them alone."

Whis nodded once.

"Perhaps so."

Trunks kept a strong glare.

"But you won't help us even if they do."

Whis nodded curtly.

"It is not my place to dictate the flow of time of this universe. I am merely assisting the process of building a force that will take the reigns."

Trunks threw his arms down in frustration.

"What assistance?! All you've done so far is given us basic training and helped Kassava beat Vegetto! How does any of that help us?!"

Whis chuckled.

"Kassava grew stronger, and in part, Vegetto did as well. Your Patrol would be significantly weaker, if it wasn't for me."

Trunks scoffed.

"What good is any of that if we all die in a demon invasion?"

Whis shrugged his shoulders.

"It would be all a waste, that is true. But the demons strive for control over this universe the same as you do. Neither side truly wishes to destroy all of existence."

Trunks shook his head.

"What are you talking about?! Zamasu wants to destroy every mortal he gets his hands on!"

Whis frowned.

"Not quite, or at least, not anymore. Even before he learned to harness his hatred in a different manner, Zamas wants to reshape the universe in his image as the demons strive for too. Destroying the fabric of reality itself would be counter intuitive to that goal."

Trunks kept his frown.

"So you're ok with complete genocide of the universe if it means that it continues to exist?"

Whis nodded curtly.

"It is my job to ensure this reality continues to exist, not to interfere with the process of its evolution. If that means witnessing Zamasu's rise to power and witnessing the birth of a new reality, then that is what I will witness."

His lips rose into a warm smile.

"I'll admit, I would be disappointed as I much prefer the present company. But it is beyond my authority to decide who should shape this universe in their image, no matter where my personal feelings may lie."

Trunks rolled his eyes, turning on his heel.

"Unbelievable. All of the work we've put into building everything up...undone. While the gods who could end all of this in an instant watch on, letting everything die in their ignorance."

Whis paused for a moment, shifting his scepter slightly.

"What do you mean exactly, Trunks?"

Trunks turned his head, meeting Whis' eyes.

"You don't know? This isn't some game or experiment, Whis: these are real people. Real societies, real lives that you have built up. You've shaped the course of events in the universe with Lord Beerus, guiding this universe's evolution from the very beginning. But when you see a force develop that is capable of wiping out everything you've helped guide, you just abandon us and avoid responsibility?! As if nothing ever mattered to you?!"

Whis bowed his head slightly, his smile remaining.

"You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for, Trunks. However, you misunderstand."

He moved forward slightly, staring down at Trunks.

"I think you are more than capable of winning this war, without my direct intervention. This is the responsibility you have chosen to place on yourself, and it is your duty to stop them. You can not rely on the gods to save you from the choices you've made for yourself, if you want to be more than just a puppet."

Trunks whirled back around, rapidly moving up to the table.

"Oh really? My responsibility?! My choices?!"

His arm shot forward, rapidly fiddling with a few buttons on the side of the table, the screen whirring back to life with a new image. Whis' expression softened slightly, staring down at the silent image of Vegetto and Kassava sitting across from one another at a table. Both warriors conversed happily with one another, despite being unable to make out their conversation without the sound, Trunks turning his head up.

"Was this my choice too?!"

Whis frowned.

"No."

Trunks paused, caught off guard by the curt admission, the frustration in his tone clearly wavering as he continued.

"No...of course it wasn't. You can stand there and tell me you only wanted to make them both stronger, but I know the truth. You saw the same flaws in Vegetto as I've come to know, you knew power wasn't the only thing that was going to save him."

Whis followed Trunks, watching him lean back a bit.

"So you made it a little personal...taking your teachings a little further and guiding them on an emotional level too. Bringing them together, once you saw Genn was trying to do the same thing when you first met him."

Whis' frown rose into a smile, nodding once.

"Yes, you've been watching me very closely, haven't you?"

Trunks nodded, his intense glare still strong.

"Yes, I have. And I'm starting to get tired of your hypocrisy."

He crossed his arms, leaning against the table.

"But I've mentored people too, you know. So I know what it's like, watching something you've guided along from afar and seeing it grow into something beautiful."

Trunks glanced down at the image for a moment, cocking an eyebrow and peering up at Whis with a small smirk.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

Whis kept his smile, nodding curtly in response.

"Yes."

Trunks' smirk instantly vanished at the confirmation, his tone dropping as quickly as his expression.

"All of it dies, without your help in a few days. And when it's gone...you'll have no one to blame for the loss but yourself."

Whis' smile faded as well, watching Trunks push himself off the table.

"So enjoy it while it lasts, Whis. Take comfort in your 'godly' duty to the universe...and be grateful for what little time you allow yourself here. Constantly letting the universe reset in chaos instead of letting it grow into something better for a change."

Whis' eyes followed Trunks as he soon left the Vault, remaining silent. He paused for a moment, his eyes soon turning to the Supreme Kai of Time. She met his for only a moment, bowing her head and slowly turning to leave the Time Vault as well.

Whis glanced down to the floor, his expression softening once both of them had left, and slowly turned his eyes back to the screen depicting Vegetto and Kassava.

======================================

"He really turned you into a piece of candy?"

Kassava leaned forward on the table on her elbows, her arms crossed underneath her chest while she watched Vegetto nod in response, leaning back into his chair.

"Yeah...I had to make him desperate and show him the magic wouldn't work on me. So I played into his trap and let him turn me into candy."

Kassava raised an eyebrow.

"And you could still fight and talk?"

Vegetto nodded.

"Yeah, of course."

"How?"

Vegetto blinked, his eyes turning to the ceiling and rubbing his chin.

"Huh...I'm not sure exactly."

Kassava rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Sounds like you're making the whole thing up."

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders.

"I can show you it in the Scroll sometime, if you want."

Kassava nodded, tilting her head slightly.

"How about another bet?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, keeping his half smirk.

"Yeah? You know I can easily win this one with just a simple page turn, don't you? You'd be a fool to make one on this."

Kassava leaned back in her seat, shrugging her head to the right with her shoulder.

"Hey...maybe it's cause I'm trying to give you a win for once. Since it doesn't really happen that often."

Vegetto chuckled.

"Oh? I'm sure if we fought again...it'd be a much different outcome than the first time."

Kassava grinned, her right hand extending out and her pointer finger aimed at Vegetto.

"Second time."

Vegetto paused, before nodding his head once.

"Right...you get the point."

Kassava glanced down at the table for a moment, keeping her smile.

"Yeah well...I wouldn't mind losing so much. Now that I know you actually care about me getting stronger and all."

Vegetto leaned forward slightly, his eyes locked on her.

"Which reminds me: we need to get you up to par with the rest of us."

Kassava turned her head up, raising an eyebrow as Vegetto continued.

"You've proven you're a great fighter, but you simply lack the power to match me. So...now that I've taught you how to bring out your potential on your own...it's time I've helped you develop a new potential."

Kassava blinked.

"The power of a god?"

Vegetto nodded slowly.

"Yes...I think you're ready. We'll start working on it tomorrow, while Trunks trains the Patrol."

Kassava's grin rapidly widened, half leaping across the table. Vegetto blinked, grunting lightly once her chest hit into his, her arms locking tightly around his neck and gripping onto him as he collapsed back into his chair. He stared down at the sight of Kassava's lower half now splayed across the table of silverware and food scraps, his arms hanging like noodles while she tightly hugged onto him.

"Umm...you're...getting food all over yourself..."

Vegetto winched slightly, his eyes turning down as he felt Kassava rapidly push herself off of him and roll slightly off the side of the table.

"Oh...that's ok. I don't really wear these clothes often anyway."

Vegetto nodded, pushing himself up from his seat and straightening himself out.

"Alright well good. We should probably get going though...busy day ahead of us."

The pair moved slowly toward the exit, walking casually side by side. Their table had been relatively close to the exit, Vegetto's right arm pushing the door open and letting Kassava emerge out first before following after her. He kept his arms at his side, facing towards her once she turned around to meet his stare.

"Did you have fun?"

Vegetto blinked, caught off guard for a moment and quickly recomposing his expression.

"Yeah...yeah it was nice."

Kassava smiled, turning her head down slightly.

"Good...we should do it again sometime."

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Well...I normally don't eat around this time and have other things planned early in the morning. So it might be a little hard to do this again, you know."

Kassava nodded, turning slightly.

"Oh...ok. Maybe we can think of something else then."

Vegetto nodded.

"Yeah...we'll figure something else out."

The two stood in silence for a few moments, dodging each other's stares. Kassava finally lifted her head with a warm smile, nodding once to Vegetto.

"Well...have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Vegetto's eyes watched her turn away, staring as she began to walk away. He glanced down for a second, a frown forming, before he turned his eyes back up.

"Wait."

Kassava blinked, her head turning slightly to the side. She watched on as Vegetto scratched the back of his head, an unnerved expression across his face.

"I..uh...should probably walk you home. I mean it is a little cold tonight and all."

Kassava's expression fell flat.

"No it isn't."

Vegetto went cold, the color draining slightly from his face.

"Uh...well...maybe you might get lost? The city's pretty empty...maybe you could use some help...finding...your building without...people being out and about..."

Kassava stared back blankly, Vegetto's dual voice trailing off for a moment. Kassava shook her head from side to side, smiling.

"Why don't you try being honest?"

Vegetto frowned, his eyes falling to the floor.

"Um...I..."

Kassava stifled a small giggle, her eyebrow raising and her voice soft.

"Would you like to walk me home?"

Vegetto turned his head up, his eyes narrowing but his head nodding silently. Kassava kept her smile, nodding to the side at his answer and turning on her heel.

"Well...come along then."

Vegetto's eyebrows perked up slightly, the fused warrior quickly moving up to her side and the pair moving casually down the empty city street in the darkness with only the street lamps to guide them.

=============================================

::There is one thing I'd like to know. Tell me...will I meet that clown Kakarot in the Otherworld?::

Genn sat curled up into a small ball, his face illuminated by the small glow of the screen in the pitch black darkness. His intense stare remained locked on the image of the owner of the voice ringing out from the speakers, Vegeta. The Saiyan stood tall with his back to Piccolo, who carried the unconscious Goten and Trunks in each arm.

::I'm not going to lie to you Vegeta, although the answer may be difficult for you to hear.::

Genn's eyebrows softened, a small pit forming in his stomach. His eyes remained locked solely on Vegeta, however, Piccolo's voice continuing.

::This is the truth.::

Genn blinked, picking up on the image of Vegeta's eye twitching slightly at the words. His stare shifted slightly, his solemn expression remaining.

::Goku devoted his life to protecting the lives of others. Because of his selflessness...when he died...he was allowed to keep his body, and travel to King Kai's planet.::

Genn stifled a small, satisfied grunt, smiling slightly at the prospect of the statement.

::You, on the other hand, have spent your life in pursuit of your own selfish desires; you've caused too much pain.::

Genn's expression dropped, the enthusiasm he held moments ago instantly evaporating.

::When you die...you will not receive the same reward.::

Genn frowned heavily, his eyes turning away from the scroll as more thoughts began to form within his mind. However, he turned his head back to the screen, the sound of Vegeta's sarcastic voice catching his attention over the little, empty thoughts ringing out in his head.

::Oh well. So be it.::

Genn sat still, his stare empty as the remaining images and sounds seemed to pass by him without registering in his mind. He slowly peeled his head away from the scroll, rubbing the lower half of his face in his train of thought.

...so be it...

Genn turned his eyes down, his hands lightly flicking the switch to turn off the Scroll. He slowly rolled the parchment up with both hands, neatly setting it onto the table before moving to his bedroom, disappearing inside.

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 28: Yin and Yang

=============

Spoiler

The bright light glaring down onto Genn's face did more to wake him up than the loud buzz of his alarm clock not even two feet away from his head. With a light groan, he rolled his lower half of his body to the edge of the bed, propping himself into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, a lack of concern for the loud ringing to his side and standing upright onto the floor. Fully stretching his arms for a few seconds, Genn finally turned and shut the clock off with a light tap, yawning as he stepped out into the hallway clad only in a plain shirt and gym shorts.

His half opened eyes took in the sight of the rather plain living room, shuffling his feet across the way but coming to a complete halt at the end of the sofa to his right. His eyes opened fully, blinking hard at the sight of Vegetto sprawled out across the cushions of the couch in his plain gi, snoring loudly.

Genn stood frozen, staring down and continually blinking to make sure his vision was functioning properly. His head turned towards the kitchen area, his wide eyes locking onto Kassava, who smiled wide and waved from the countertop she leaned on and fully dressed in her training gi as well. Genn glanced back down to the sofa, his voice in a high whisper as he turned back to Kassava.

"What is he doing here?!"

Kassava shrugged her shoulders.

"He took me out for dinner last night and walked me home. So I thought I'd be polite and offer him a place to stay for the night."

Her lips rose slightly into a smirk.

"Told you we should've gotten the lease with an extra bedroom."

Genn frowned.

"So you made him sleep on the sofa?"

Kassava giggled, bowing her head slightly.

"Hey, I tried to get him to share a bed with me."

She raised her right hand, her pointer finger and thumb nearly touching together.

"Was this close too...but he figured out what I was trying to do and insisted on sleeping out here. So no action for me."

Genn rolled his eyes, heading towards the counter.

"C'mon Kass...I was being serious."

Kassava scoffed, lifting her chin slightly.

"So was I. Usually don't have to try really hard, but I've lost my touch with guys thanks to all this training I guess." 

Her head turned back down, staring at Genn and watching him sit down onto the stool on the other side of the counter. A frown formed across her face, noticing Genn's stare falling onto the counter top and his expression blank, her right eyebrow raising.

"What? You're supposed to be my wing man here...the least you can do is go along with the jokes."

Genn sighed lightly.

"You should've woken me up. I could've offered him my bed."

Kassava paused for a moment, a half smile slowly creeping onto her face with a half chuckle.

"Are...you really upset about that?"

She giggled, Genn staring back at her and remaining silent as she continued.

"Genn it's alright, he's going to be fine. Here...watch this."

Genn perked his eyebrows, watching Kassava promptly reach to the side and picking up a small silver spoon in her hand. Her eyes remained forward, her wrist flicking and slinging the small metal spoon out into the air. The metal landed with a light thud directly onto Vegetto's skull, Genn gasping lightly at the impact and tensing immediately, staring at the sofa. His eyes remained locked on the furniture for a moment, Kassava calmly continuing.

"He's out cold. You remember the last time he slept like that?"

Genn turned back to Kassava, a small hint of confusion across his face.

"No...I've never seen him sleep."

Kassava blinked, shaking her head.

"Oh....well he's usually a light sleeper. Back when I spent the night at his place...he woke up from just the smallest vibration. Now, I could scream in his ear and he won't even budge."

She grinned slightly, perking her right eyebrow.

"You know what that means?" 

Genn kept a flat stare.

"What?"

Kassava ignored his lack of enthusiasm, proudly raising her chin and placing her hands on her hips.

"He's starting to trust me. Feels more comfortable getting a good night's sleep in my presence!"

Genn nodded once.

"Ah...good."

Kassava paused, her voice questioning.

"It's progress...isn't it?"


Her expression dropped slightly, watching Genn stare back down at the counter blankly, lost in thought.

"I thought you'd be a little happier about this...I mean...aren't you the one that really wanted me to be close with him?"

Genn perked his head slightly.

"If it meant you being happier, sure. But not if you're only doing this for me."

Kassava rolled her eyes slightly.

"Well you know I wouldn't be forcing this if it wasn't going to be something I wanted too. But you're the reason why I even decided to get started in the first place...at least give me that."

She took a seat shortly after, her frown returning.

"C'mon, I know this is supposed to be a big deal for you. What's wrong this time?"

Genn shook his head, waving his hand. His lips rose into a small smile, barring his teeth.

"No no...nothing wrong Kass. I just have a lot on my mind...but I came up with something I think is good."

Kassava perked her eyebrows.

"Oh?"

Genn nodded once, meeting her eyes.

"Yeah...I was thinking...I always keep trying to atone for the past. As if doing some really amazing heroic deed would bring some forgiveness for it all, or something that could help me feel better in the long run, you know?"

Kassava half frowned, still staring back.

"Right...and?"

Genn let out a quick sigh.

"Well...I've given up on that dream. It's just not how it works."

He quickly raised his right hand, his pointer finger extended and speaking before Kassava could form words.

"But!"

His smile rose into a grin.

"We already have a way around that...don't we?"

Kassava blinked for a moment, giggling lightly and glancing down.

"You can't be serious. Here?"

Genn nodded.

"Yeah, why not? I mean...you won't be able help me like we did back home...but I'll be leading the Patrol into battle. And if I can't inspire them properly as Genn...then maybe I'll have to do it as-"

"The Masked Savior!!"

Kassava mockingly flailed her arms, her voice raising into an announcer-like cry as she spoke the name.

"Standing in the face of evil and tyranny!"

Genn scoffed.

"Hey c'mon Kass....it worked!"

Kassava groaned.

"Yeah...but you were so corny with it! Why can't you just be you?"

Genn shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe I will be...but not with this face. If people don't know who I am...then I don't have to worry about losing their trust if they learn the truth."

He glanced to the side, the sound of a dual voice yawning loudly catching his attention. His eyes turned and watched Vegetto slowly roll off the sofa, rising to his feet. The new addition rubbed his right eye with his knuckle, shuffling around the side of the furniture and moving up to join the two at the counter. His spiked hair was slightly uneven despite still upright, his eyes opening halfway.

"Good morning."

Kassava stifled a small chuckle.

"How was your beauty sleep?"

Vegetto lifted his left shoulder, his head tilting slightly to the left as well.

"Could've been better if I had a bed to sleep on."

Kassava snorted.

"Hey, you were the one that turned down warm cuddling and a soft bed. Not me."

Vegetto chuckled.

"Well...I prefer more...challenging fights, Kassava. You'll need to try harder than whatever last night was supposed to be."

Genn dropped his head down, quickly glancing away and stopping a chuckle from emerging while Kassava stared back with wide eyes at Vegetto, her smirk soon returning.

"Excuse me?!"

Vegetto kept his smirk, but soon narrowed his eyes.

"Kidding aside, you do have a problem with being too easy to read. I picked up on your desperation before we even sat down in the apartment...just as Zamasu likely figured out your first plan during the fight."

Kassava frowned, crossing her arms and glancing to the side while Vegetto sat down on a stool a few down from Genn.

"But don't mind me...we can talk about that a bit later. I didn't mean to intrude on your conversation earlier."

Kassava grinned, her eyes narrowing mischievously at the opening.

"Yes Genn...let's get back to what we were talking about."

Genn grinned nervously, his eyes narrowing at Kassava.

"We don't need to talk about that..."

Kassava smiled, turning her head back to Vegetto.

"You'll have to forgive him...Genn's a little embarrassed talking about his alter ego-"

She suddenly sprung up from her seat, her right fist high into the air with an exaggeratedly deep voice.

"THE MASKED SAVIOR!! THE HERO WHO STANDS FOR JUSTICE AGAINST THE FORCES OF EVIL AND TYRANNY!!"

Genn groaned.

"I was having a moment, ok?!"

Vegetto chuckled lightly.

"Is that what you called yourself on Kryndyn when you two were cleaning up the planet?"

Genn frowned.

"Yeah...but I'm not going to exaggerate it, alright? I just want to go by an alter ego so no one knows its me."

Vegetto inhaled deeply.

"Good...I've already seen one guy dress up and play hero in the city. Would like to be spared from another."

Genn nodded, turning towards Vegetto.

"By the way...do you have any masks at the Time Vault I can borrow? Just something to wear that will cover my face?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Genn glanced down.

"Because I lost mine..."

Vegetto shrugged his shoulders in response.

"One of Towa's earlier projects before Zamasu was a gang of organized bandits we called 'the Time Breakers'. They use to wear some ornate face masks with a xenoverse symbol across the front of it; I'm sure we have plenty of those kept in the artifact room."

Genn frowned.

"You said Towa made them though?"

Vegetto nodded, quickly raising and shaking his hand in recognition of Genn's concern.

"It's safe, her magic has been expelled from the masks so she won't be able to control you. It'll just be a decorative piece that will cover your face, nothing more."

Genn nodded.

"Alright thanks."

Vegetto kept an eyebrow raised, his tone sharpening slightly.

"Why does it matter though? Surely, you'd want people to know you're the one that saved them, wouldn't you?"

Genn nodded once.

"It'd be nice..but not if they learn what I did. It's just better this way for everyone."

Vegetto frowned in response, but shrugged his shoulders again slightly.

"Fine...have it your way then."

He then sighed, his eyebrow still raised.

"So, is this Masked Savior going to be the one who rallies our Patrol then?"

Genn shook his head.

"No...I was thinking of a different name too. Something a little more...subtle."

Kassava raised her eyebrow.

"Like what?"

Genn perked his head up.

"How about the Masked...Saiyan?"

Vegetto glanced away.

"Sounds simple."

Genn nodded.

"That's what it should be. Inspiring everyone to fight for their home and for a better universe. Without my past bringing it all down."

Vegetto turned his head slightly, his narrowed eyes studying Genn as he finished.

"No whistles and bells with the whole 'savior' talk like on my homeworld. Just a Saiyan standing for what he believes in, nothing more."

Vegetto glanced down, pausing for a moment before turning his head and staring at Kassava, who held a small smile. The fused warrior then put on a smile of his own, turning back to Genn.

"Well, you'd better get to it. Trunks is likely waiting for you at the Time Vault already: those Patrollers are going to need a lot of work."

Genn nodded, turning towards his room.

"Right...let me get dressed."

Vegetto's eyes followed Genn as he quickly left the small living space, disappearing shortly behind a closed door. He let out a small sigh, turning back towards Kassava who grinned nearly from ear to ear.

"Well look at you, being all supportive."

Vegetto held a blank expression.

"I wouldn't call that very supportive."

Kassava nodded once.

"Maybe not for everyone, but that was a big improvement for you."

Vegetto glanced away, falling silent for a moment while Kassava pushed herself off the counter top.

"He really looks up to you, you know."

Vegetto kept a flat stare, watching her walk up and sitting in the stool next to him.

"I'm not the hero he's looking for."

Kassava nodded.

"True...but you haven't shut him down."

She smirked, casually leaning to the side on the counter top.

"Guess you like the attention, huh?"

Vegetto shook his head once.

"Not at all. It's just...maybe it's better than the truth."

Kassava blinked.

"Huh?"

Vegetto nodded slightly towards Genn's room.

"What he said a minute ago...about being simple. Just a Saiyan fighting...that's what I'd like to be. But once you take on a few threats to the universe, the people who come to worship you don't see the real person behind all of those 'bells and whistles'. They just... dress you up as what they want you to be and well...who am I to take away the happiness I see from them."

Kassava paused for a moment, her voice soft.

"Is that why you hide from most of the city all the time?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"Of course. The less they know, the less disappointment they have."

He shook his head, and waved his right hand.

"But let's not talk about that. We need to-"

"No!"

Vegetto blinked, glancing down at Kassava's hand tightly squeezing onto his.

"You opened up again...for the second time. Please, I want to hear more."

Vegetto stared back into her eyes for a few seconds, Kassava's refusing to budge and holding a pleading expression with a frown. Vegetto sighed heavily, pulling his arm back.

"There isn't time, and you're showing your problem again. Control your emotions, Kass, you're too easy to read."

Kassava glanced down.

"Sorry."

Vegetto stood up from the stool, helping Kassava stand from her seat as well in the process and patting down his legs.

"One of the easiest mistakes is showing weakness or vulnerability to an enemy, and you have a problem with showing that vulnerability to everyone. You're an open book most of the time, and while your actions can be misleading at times, I can watch your reactions and expressions for only a few seconds to know exactly how you feel and what sort of state of well being you are in. You need to start closing your heart to your feelings a little more, alright?"

Kassava kept her head low, her voice trailing off and soft.

"Ok."

Vegetto stared down at her, facing towards her fully at the meager reply shortly after it was spoken. His narrowed eyes studied her for a moment, his expression softening slightly with a frown while his own dual voice rung out inside her head.

How do I stop her spirit from breaking? She doesn't control her emotions because she lacks discipline, but if I push her now, she'll surely crumble in her resolve. How can I motivate her to try something she's never done-

His thoughts froze, his eyes lifting slightly as her voice rung out in his head.

"Then one day, you wake up and realize just how many people you've pushed away in your life that only wanted to see the real you. That when you want to confide your deepest feelings to someone close...no one is there to listen to them. Just you, trudging along another day, without anyone to really lift you up or make you better."

Vegetto glanced back down to Kassava, his own mind returning to him.

No...not discipline. She shut everyone out before...and wants to let someone in.

Vegetto kept his frown for a moment, shifting forward slightly. His right hand lifted up, the gloved pointer finger lightly pressing up into Kassava's chin and forcing her head up. She blinked in confusion for a moment, her eyes a bit watery but mostly dry. Vegetto's frown deepened at the sight for only a second, letting out a small sigh.

"What the hell."

He quickly dipped his head down, his hand shifting from her chin to her cheek, cupping it as he suddenly pressed his lips to hers. Kassava's eyes went wide, a muffled gasp escaping through the contact. Her eyes soon shut completely, her arms immediately reaching up and wrapping around Vegetto's neck, her right hand grasping tightly onto his shoulder while her left dug through his spiky hair behind his head. She stumbled as she collapsed her frontal weight completely onto his chest, tightly pressing against him while she struggled for control. His arms snaked around the small of her back, firmly and sloppily wrestling their lips together.

Vegetto suddenly pulled his head back with a loud pop, his forehead still pressed heavily against hers for a moment. Kassava panted heavily, dropping her head down and resting into Vegetto's chest, her arms snaking down and wrapping around his back as the relief was clear in her exasperated whisper.

"Finally."

Vegetto fidgetted nervously, his dual voice in an uneasy whisper.

"Sorry...I um..."

"No no."

Vegetto stared down, a frown returning at the sight of tears streaming down the side of Kassava's cheeks.

"Don't ever be sorry for that...please don't ever be sorry for that."

Vegetto lifted his head, exhaling deeply and gently caressing her back with his right hand, his arms still locked tightly around her back. He let out a small chuckle, his voice still a low whisper.

"If I didn't know any better...I would've thought that was your first kiss."

He stared down, his teasing smirk disappearing at the nudging of Kassava's nose along the middle of his chest, her voice cracking slightly.

"Please don't leave me alone again."

Vegetto frowned, his dual voice soft.

"Is this...about Black?"

A small shift up and down from her nose rubbing against his chest gave him the confirmation he needed, Vegetto sighing lightly.

"Looks like I was wrong again...you're better at hiding your real feelings than I thought. So...I suppose it's only fair that I tell you what I was really thinking about when he was threatening you like that."

Kassava kept her head buried in his chest, but started to peer up slowly at the venom in the dual voice ringing out.

"If he had gone a step further...I would've ripped his head off."

Kassava peeked up fully from his chest.

"Really?"

Vegetto smirked down at her, nodding his head once.

"Really."

Kassava glanced back down, sniffling as she readjusted her grip on Vegetto's back, her voice still cracking.

"Your chest is very comfy."

Vegetto chuckled, glancing down.

"Well...you're pretty comfortable yourself."

Kassava smiled in response, her head turning. Her eyes landed squarely on Genn, who leaned against the wall of the hallway he had been waiting in on his left shoulder, his arms crossed. His smile grew larger than Kassava's once she met his eyes, the female Saiyan perking up slightly but still tightly pressing against Vegetto with a teasing tone.

"And who are you looking at with that stupid grin?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, his body twitching slightly at the startling sight of Genn. Genn chuckled, pushing himself off the wall.

"Oh nothing...just a couple of love birds that need to get a room."

Genn moved around the two, heading towards the door and opening it.

"Just don't tear up the apartment too much, alright?"

Vegetto smirked, watching Genn disappear again without waiting for a response. He turned his head back down to Kassava, raising an eyebrow.

"Feeling better now?"

Kassava kept her smile, looking up and meeting his eyes.

"Yeah...much. I thought you didn't want this though?"

Vegetto tilted his head to the left slightly with a half shrug.

"I changed my mind. We can be sappy later though...we should start training while the Patrol is getting whipped into shape."

Kassava nodded once, pulling away with her voice fuller than before.

"Ok."

Vegetto stepped to the side, his arm resting around Kassava's shoulders and her arm snaking around his lower back, gripping onto the ribs. The pair walked out of the apartment side by side, shutting the door tightly behind them before leaving the building.

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 29: The War Effort

==================================

Spoiler

"What?"

Genn stared blankly at Trunks for a moment, his hands cupped together in front of his chest, the group now standing together in the Time Vault with the Kais and Whis. His eyes had lifted up from the new ceramic mask resting neatly in his hands, blinking once at Trunks, who continued to stare down at the parchment he held while he spoke.

"I need you here. Most of the fighters we have left are already starting a few training rounds inside the time stream, along with a few instructors showing the civilians techniques to defend themselves. While we're in there training, I want you to stay here with Whis and work out some plans for how we can defend the city."

Whis smiled at the mention of his name.

"I cannot directly aid one side or the other, but I can guide whichever side I choose towards success."

Vegetto glanced towards Genn, a small frown forming at the sight of Genn dipping his head slightly in disappointment. His own right eyebrow lifted, turning his eyes towards Trunks with a flat tone in both of his voices.

"Do you have a plan to inspire the other Patrollers?"

Trunks nodded.

"Yeah, I think I have it covered. Most of them only know about your power as a god. Maybe if I show them mine...it might help raise their spirits."

Vegetto nodded once, his eyes turning down with a dissatisfied stare before looking towards Kassava, the uncertainty clear in his expression. She frowned in response as well, her voice coming out a little weaker in conviction in an attempt to follow up.

"Well...Genn has an idea."

Trunks raised an eyebrow, finally lifting his attention from the Scroll and staring back at Kassava. His eyes jumped from the three, landing on Genn staring down at the mask blankly before his own expression dropped.

"Oh."

He paused for a moment, thinking to himself and rubbing his chin.

"Look...there's only a couple of reasons why I need you here. If there was time to train this Patroller perfectly, then you'd be helping me inspire them. Believe me...I wanted you to set a good example for them, and have them look up to you."

Trunks frowned.

"But we don't have time to do things as perfectly as we can. The Demon Army is likely on its way here now, and we need to figure out how to fortify the city properly while we train our fighters."

Genn glanced up, raising an eyebrow.

"And the other reason?"

Trunks glanced down, his expression softening.

"The other reason...is that I need trainers who know more about combat in real time. You are a fantastic tactician and can help us plan out how to use our fighters properly in the city, but in real time combat, you don't know much. You froze up whenever we fought against Black, and couldn't adapt when the situation began to deteriorate. I need teachers who can show these Patrollers how to fight when things don't go according to the plan."

Genn's frown deepened.

"That was one time."

Trunks shook his head.

"No, it wasn't. You know it as well as I do...you've never been great at combat for a reason. You've never been able to adapt in a battle: that's how your sister beat you in the long run on your home world. You set up plan after plan to take her down, but she won because you never had the ability to adapt when things went wrong. Only to retreat, and come up with another plan."

He nodded to her.

"She is like me, like Vegetto, like every other warrior here: we fight and adapt to opponents. That's why we need you here: you're the only one of us that isn't reliant on others to improve. We need you to come up with a plan, give us ideas on how we can turn the tables on them, and then we can adapt if things go wrong. That's the kind of setup we need if we hope to stand a chance against them, alright?"

Genn kept his frown, but nodded curtly in response.

"Yeah...I understand."

Trunks turned his eyes to the floor for a moment, stepping away from the table and moving up to Genn. His right hand quickly shot up, grasping onto Genn's left shoulder.

"If there was any other way, trust me, you'd be in there to inspire them. But I don't want you going in there with this dream, and having it crushed because some of those fighters won't respect you without a full range of techniques and combat skills to offer them. Especially when you can create the foundation for our victory from here."

He nodded down to the mask in Genn's hands, a small smile forming.

"But don't worry...they'll know the 'Masked Saiyan' is the one calling the shots from the Vault. You'll be the hero running the show as our leader, so they won't know your weaknesses are."

Genn glanced up, his eyes meeting Trunks and putting on a small smile of his own.

"Thank you."

Trunks nodded, pulling his arm back.

"That's what friends are for."

===========

Vegetto's eyes darted between the two, his arms having been crossed. His eyes turned to his left at the small jab of an elbow into his side, staring down at Kassava who smirked up at him and spoke in a near whisper.

"What are you smiling about?"

Vegetto paused, noticing the small smirk that had subconsciously formed during the conversation, and quickly reverting his expression into a blank stare.

"Nothing."

Kassava kept her smirk, now fully leaning into Vegetto's side and staring up at him.

"Are you finally starting to get a soft spot for him?"

Vegetto scoffed lightly, his eyes still forward and his dual voice in a near hiss while his expression tensed.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kassava stifled a small giggle, her arms wrapping around Vegetto's waist and hugging him tightly.

"It's ok...you're starting to care about them. It just means you like seeing them happy."

Vegetto's stare softened, his eyes diverting down to Kassava for a moment. She only smiled warmly back at him, Vegetto soon shaking his head and nodding to the table with a small smile of his own.

"Alright...you win. But we have training we need to start on...don't celebrate your victory just yet."

=============================

Unknown Regions, Present Timeline

The clouds hanging high above the lone tower swirled around the center peak of the building, the tense flare of energy on the balcony creating the violent atmosphere. Towa, fully calm in her transformed state as a Demon God, smirked down. The midfoot padding of her heels pressed hard into the top of Vegetto Black's forehead, the doppelganger's enraged expression strong despite the lack of any physical damage present across his expression. Towa's leg twitched heavily, visibly struggling to keep the transformed Saiyan underneath her heel while she spoke.

"You do have a lot of spirit."

Vegetto Black only snarled, Towa's smirk rising.

"You've spent a long time at the top, because of your power. But there's more to control and dominance than strength, my magic is stronger than you can overcome."

She raised an eyebrow.

"So why do you continue to resist? You are just a dog that wants to fight strong opponents and improve. No one is trying to take that away from you."

Vegetto Black grunted.

"I serve no one."

Towa chuckled darkly.

"Wrong, you serve me now. You destroyed my favorite creation...you've put this operation in jeopardy multiple times in refusing to take out the threat. You've changed...and your current self would most certainly be displeased with what you've become."

She clutched her staff in the opposing hand, her eyes narrowing.

"But I don't care much for him either, I have what I want. He wants control of time itself, which I can circumvent with my magic long enough for me to destroy him when he becomes a problem."

Towa's expression softened, her smirk returning.

"You...on the other hand...are simple. You provide me with the strength to destroy the Patrol, and I will give you what your heart desires most. Many heroes will stand in our way, all rising to test your strength if you wish. All you have to do is give up your ego, and bow to my will."

Vegetto Black snarled once more, the venom clear in his dual voice.

"I don't need you. I can find worthy foes on my own...after I destroy you and the Patrol at once!"

Towa shook her head.

"That's what you believe because you haven't thought it through. Imagine your success, imagine destroying all of us. You move onto the time stream, facing the strongest warriors in Goku and Vegeta. You kill them, same as you wipe out the remaining universes. Eventually, you'll run out of opponents, and the masses will come to fear you. Win enough battles, and they will lose hope that they can defeat you. No hope...no heroes. No heroes...no opponents to fight."

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes, watching Towa gesturing to herself.

"While I am not a fighter. Just as your rage boils over now in submitting to me...so too will the universe's when they are forced to bow to me. They will perceive me as a weak magician that controls time, and follow a blind hope that they can defeat me."

Towa kept her smirk, staring down at Vegetto Black.

"You will always have someone to fight...someone to battle. So long as you be a good dog and serve your master well...you'll have your treats."

She raised an eyebrow once more.

"Unless you prefer the life of your former self, constantly facing humiliation in every step he takes away from his dream because of his ego. Just as you fighting against my will has you here, humiliated underneath my boot. Further away from your dream of fighting Vegetto one more time."

Vegetto Black only glared up, sitting silently underneath her heel. Towa's leg no longer trembled, the struggle between the two visibly fading entirely as her own eyebrows perked up in surprise. The doppelganger kept a strong glare with his eyes, but inhaled deeply, bowing his head and exhaling the air forcibly with a blunt, emotionless tone.

"Fine. I will serve you."

Towa kept her smirk, pulling her leg back.

"Good boy. Now, up on your feet."

Vegetto Black's eyebrows twitched, the rage clear in his expression despite holding his tongue. He slowly rose up to his feet, having maintained his transformed state while Towa moved a few inches closer, nodding to the side.

"Just remember that your cooperation is not a factor: I could put you back on your knees in an instant if you try to disobey me."

Vegetto Black remained silent, staring down into her eyes with a strong glare as his response. Towa kept her smirk, her eyes locked with his.

"Now that we understand each other, it's time we discuss what to do with your other half. I trust you truly have no strong feelings for him?"

Vegetto Black scoffed.

"He means nothing to me."

Towa nodded once.

"Good. Once we've taken the city and Zamasu becomes the new Time Kaioshin, he will undoubtedly attempt to erase me from existence when I challenge him for power. The fool truly has no idea what kind of burden managing time itself has upon an individual, Chronoa's thousands of years of experience being the only reason why I could never break her mind from the amount of strain I've placed on her with changes I've caused. Zamasu's mind will shatter under the weight I can cause from distortions in the universe, his immortal body being useless if his mind no longer can function on its own. Allowing me the perfect opportunity to use him as a vessel for the strain, while I manage time itself without any of the drawbacks."

Vegetto Black's glare remained unchanged, staring down at Towa who cocked an eyebrow.

"So, does that sound appealing to you? To watch your former self turn into a puppet for my will?"

Vegetto Black's dual voice remained flat.

"I don't care."

Towa stiffled a small giggle, her smirk growing.

"Good, that's how you will differ from him. Instead of being a mindless puppet, you will simply be my servant. While he will be unable to feel a thing because he will chase his ambition, you will have anything that your heart desires for discarding yours. You will enjoy your life under my rule, that I can promise."

She nodded to door.

"Now go, and prepare the army. My grandfather and the other demons will be watching from here as we take the city, let's finish wiping out the plague of the Patrol once and for all."

Vegetto Black nodded curtly, the strong glare still across his expression despite the doppelganger's silent turn, leaving Towa to gaze out onto the barren planet alone on the balcony.

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 30: Divine Intervention

===================

Spoiler

Age 778, Capsule Corporation

Kassava's eyes darted around, taking in the scene with an uneasy expression. The air itself felt still, the entire environment locked in a frozen position as she and Vegetto stood as the only animated individuals in the area. The water in the pool was distorted into waves from the former air pushing the currents to the outside edges, but now floated in suspension. The clouds hanging high above in the bright summer sky were as still as the group of humans standing near the staircase leading back to the mansion, their eyes frozen on the sight of the golden circle on the other side of the pool.

Vegetto turned his eyes to Beerus, who was comfortable stretched out on a lawn chair with a straw in his mouth. Confident that the god of destruction was also frozen in time, he soon turned his attention to Kassava.

"Can you guess what era we are in?"

Kassava blinked, her own eyes forward. She peered over Gohan's shoulder, having taken a moment to make sure the golden energy that rose from around the bodies of the five collectively holding hands in a circle did nothing to harm her, and kept a perplexed expression.

"No idea. I don't remember seeing this."

Vegetto's smirk rose, shifting his way around the group and standing behind Goku.

"This is the moment in history where Goku became a Super Saiyan God."

Kassava blinked hard once more, turning her head to Vegetto.

"Wait...I thought this history was forbidden to us?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"Yes, under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be allowed to visit this moment in time. Chorona is very strict, as the power used in this ritual can easily be replicated or shifted."

He turned his eyes away from Goku, his smirk widening slightly.

"But we can bend the rules this time. We've done a second look over to make sure we've accounted for the Saiyans left in our universe, you and your brother are the last of the our race aside from Goku and Vegeta's immediate family. It was fortunate that you two joined our Patrol...but even more so, that you managed to come this far."

Vegetto glanced down, his smirk fading as he grasped onto Goku's right hand, pulling it out of Vegeta's grasp.

"At first, I thought I had you figured out. But even after failing to fully recognize who you truly were at your core since we first met, I still wanted to believe you had what it takes. I challenged you, hoping that this little idea clawing at the back of my head wasn't just desperation."

Kassava snorted, a teasing smirk forming.

"It was."

Vegetto chuckled, slowly pushing Vegeta further out into a wider angle for the circle after breaking the link to Goku.

"C'mon Kass, I'm trying to make a point here."

Kassava perked her eyebrows, crossing her arms and stifling a small giggle.

"Kass, huh? Well, I guess you using nicknames isn't that far of a stretch after our little moment earlier."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, reaching out and grasping tightly onto Goku's frozen hand as he turned to Kassava.

"You think so?"

Kassava blinked for a moment, locking eyes with Vegetto. Her teasing expression softened at the sight of his slightly enthusiasm, uncrossing her arms.

"Yeah...it does have a nice ring to it when you say it."

Vegetto kept a warm smile, nodding back to the circle.

"Well, I'll make a note of that. But back to what I was saying earlier, you saw what I had envisioned for you. And you knew that deep down, it was who you were meant to be. So we worked together: both of us striving for this belief that could've easily failed. And instead of that failure coming to pass, you've grown against the odds and become a true warrior."

Kassava's eyes widened slightly, staring back at Vegetto who broke out into a smirk.

"You've earned this opportunity. It is time you gained the power...of a god."

Kassava kept a stunned expression, her eyes shifting down and noticing Vegetto's outstretched hand.

"I chose this moment in time, because Kakarot and the others failed to produce a Super Saiyan God in their first attempt. We will change history for a brief period in time, our help will give them the amount of Saiyans they need to complete the ritual instead of adding Videl's unborn child to the ritual."

Kassava blinked, moving up and taking hold of Vegetto's hand. Her eyes stared down at the gloved hand now tightly intertwining with hers, her head turning up once Vegetto spoke again to meet his narrowed eyes.

"In a minute, Chornoa will allow time to flow through the Scroll once more. The others here will be taken aback, and I will explain it to them. Take hold of Vegeta's hand, let me do the talking, and then we can begin your final test."

Kassava raised an eyebrow.

"My...final test?"

Vegetto nodded curtly.

"Of course. You didn't think I was going to make it easy for you, did you?"

Kassava smiled, her eyes turning away and her free hand soon reaching out, gripping onto Vegeta's with a heavy sigh.

"No...I guess having me beaten and weary before an army of demons invades our home is a good idea though."

Vegetto chuckled lightly in response, his eyes following Kassava as she took hold of Vegeta's hand.

"It won't be that bad. Now, go ahead and transform into a Super Saiyan."

A golden aura rapidly shot up from underneath Vegetto's boots, Kassava eyeing him uneasily for a moment. She then lightly shrugged her shoulders, her own golden aura flaring up with her hair spiking into sharp little bundles. Vegetto turned his chin up to the sky shortly after, a smile strong across his face as he spoke.

"Alright Chronoa, we're ready. Let the time flow again."

The sky shifted at the sound of the dual voice, the stillness fading as the clouds began to slowly float across in the blue sky overhead. The wind blew lightly shortly after, Vegetto and Kassava both turning their heads down. Both stopped, however, staring into the wide, confused expressions of the Saiyans circled around them. Kassava blinked as well, her attention turning to the shifting of Vegeta's arm twisting around, trying to escape her strong grip.

"Gah! Who the hell are you?!"

Vegetto grinned uneasily.

"Hey hey, calm down. We're Saiyans too...take it easy!"

Goku's wide eyes studied Vegetto intensely, looking over him.

"Woah...hey Vegeta, did you hear his voice? He sounds like me!"

Vegeta had stopped completely, his own eyes studying Vegetto closely.

"No he doesn't, he sounds more like me you buffon."

Vegetto's expression deadpanned, staring blankly at the two while Goku turned his head slightly towards Vegeta, narrowing his eyebrows a bit.

"He didn't sound nearly as grumpy as you do right there, Vegeta. That sounded just like something I would say and you know it."

Vegeta scoffed.

"Then let him speak again. Go ahead and prove this idiot wrong for us."

Vegetto kept a flat expression.

"I'm both of you."

Goku and Vegeta both blinked hard, opening their mouths to speak but quickly being cut off by Vegetto.

"We don't have time for this."

Beerus perked up as well, having sat upright with narrowed eyes.

"Hey! What the hell is going on over there?!"

Vegetto peered around Kassava's shoulder, grinning at Beerus while still grasping tightly onto both Goku's and Kassava's hands.

"Nothing! Just give us a little longer, we're just sorting things out!"

The fused warrior then quickly turned back to the others, his eyes narrowing.

"Listen, you guys want to create a Super Saiyan God, right? Well, you need at least one more Saiyan to make that happen. You can have more than six, but you need at least five pooling their light into one to make it happen. Without us, you won't have a Super Saiyan God to challenge Lord Beerus."

Vegeta kept his narrowed eyes trained on Vegetto.

"It doesn't sound like you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart. What do you want in return?"

Vegetto smirked, his eyes shifting to Kassava and nodding to her.

"All we want in return, is for her to become the God. She will take care of Beerus for you."

Kassava's eyes went wide, turning to Vegetto.

"What?!"

Goku frowned as well, pouting.

"Aww, but I really wanted to fight Beerus!"

Vegetto turned his head fully to Kassava, a warm smile on his expression.

"This is your final test, Kassava. You've done everything to prepare for this moment. It's time you pushed yourself to greater heights, and who better to help you realize that potential than the god of destruction himself?"

Kassava chuckled uneasily, glancing down.

"But...but what if I fail?"

Vegetto kept his smile.

"You won't. Remember: it's not about winning or losing. Do the best you can...and it'll all work itself out in the end, alright?"

Kassava glanced back up, staring into Vegetto's eyes for a minute, before nodding her head and smiling as well.

"Alright...I think I can do it."

Vegeta scoffed, the sarcastic venom dripping from his voice.

"Yes, fighting Beerus the Destroyer is only a game. It's no different than playing bingo or having fun at the park!"

Vegetto narrowed his eyes, his aura flaring up once more.

"It's now or never guys. Either join us or not: the fate of the world is at stake."

Vegeta grunted, but his aura soon shot up in his silence. Gohan shrugged his shoulders as well, his aura shooting up.

"It's worth a shot, I suppose."

Goten and Trunks both grinned, their eyes still trained on Kassava.

"Yeah! Maybe she won't have to fight if Beerus gets her cooties!"

Kassava raised an eyebrow, her eyes turning to Vegetto.

"What are cooties?"

Vegetto shook his head once.

"Don't worry about it."

He turned to his side, however, noticing the absence of the final aura. Goku hung his head slightly, narrowed eyes with a strong frown across his face.

"Kakarot?"

Goku remained still, Vegetto's own expression softening.

"You'll have your turn to fight him, alright? Besides...wouldn't it be better to reach that level on your own instead of relying on others?"

Goku peered up, his expression softening slightly.

"...yeah, I guess you're right. But it's just...I really wanted to fight him."

Vegetto turned his eyes, hearing Vegeta's own mocking voice ring out.

"Don't bother with him. Kakarot's just afraid to do it on his own because he knows I'll have the power of a god before he will!"

Goku kept his frown.

"Hey, you don't know that Vegeta! It's a level we can't reach on our own, we'd have to do this again if we wanted to become this Super Saiyan God."

Vegeta smirked, scoffing in response.

"Maybe for you. But I'm not afraid of the challenge: I'll tap into the power of a god on my own. Then, while you sit there and mope for everyone to make you stronger, I'll return to show you what true power looks like."

Goku narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah right, if you're going to figure out how to get the power of a god on your own, then I'll do it too!"

Vegeta grunted.

"Then stop your whining and help us complete this ritual! I want to see this power for myself already!"

Goku smiled, nodding once. His aura rapidly shot up, his head turning to Vegetto and Kassava.

"Alright...but promise me one thing."

His eyes locked with Kassava's, a grin slowly widening.

"When you're done with Beerus...I want to fight you too."

Kassava smirked back, nodding.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about our rematch."

Goku blinked, the confusion washing over his expression.

"We've fought before?"

Kassava's eyes went wide as well, shaking her head.

"Oh right...ummm, no we haven't. Just...forget I said anything."

Vegetto tightly shut his eyes, the golden energy from all of the Saiyans now fully swirling together as Kassava finished speaking. Her eyes darted around, looking at the blank stares of each warrior for a moment. A small gasp escaped her lips at the cold sensation along her chest, prompting her to look down. Her eyes widened at the sight of a blue flame beginning to grow slowly from the center of her chest. Her head shifted around, the same shocked expression appearing on the faces of the other five Saiyans.

Her attention soon landed on Vegetto, noticing his calm demeanor throughout the flames rising across their bodies. The energy swirled more potently around his gi, soon shifting in direction. Kassava winced, watching the flames soon converge from around the other fights towards Kassava as well.

========================

Time Vault, Present Day

"No no, Whis."

Whis blinked, staring down at the small scribbling before him. The taller angel loomed over the table in his seat, watching Genn circle the small X he had traced earlier to show a mark through of a little passage way.

"We can use this little spot for back line movement. As the front line begins to retreat and fall back, we can shift troops through here until the demons get to the middle sectors."

Whis raised an eyebrow.

"Why would we wait for them to get there before closing it up?"

Genn kept a flat expression.

"Because unless Black wants to charge down and stop that movement personally, we can move through there safely until they are within range at those middle sectors. Don't want to risk plugging up that canyon and losing a whole line of Patrollers from lack of caution."

Whis nodded.

"Fair enough. Now, how about this frontline approach?"

Genn pointed to each of the three large ovals at the front of the map, depicting portions of the edge of the city.

"These three groups here will try to block most of the fighting, and slowly shift back and retreat once they start to lose the high ground advantage. As long as they follow the retreat patterns, we'll force the demons to follow them through these 'kill zones' here-"

He pointed to the narrow alleyways circled a few inches behind the three ovals.

"Once they reach the middle of the city, most of the combat will be front loaded and within range for additional support from Vegetto, Trunks, and Kassava who will undoubtedly be a little busy focusing on Black and the demon leaders to commit a full attack force. We're saving most of the big weapons for the middle sectors, as it will be more open for explosives and rapid fire spread to thin out the demon ranks as they rush. There are a few more narrow positions, but at this stage of the fight, it'll be too chaotic to expect proper positioning and timing when they need to retreat back to the nest. They should hold the army at the steps leading to the Time Nest, but if they can't, then we'll just have to hope Vegetto and the others can make up for their defense capabilities."

Whis nodded.

"Well enough. It seems a sound battle plan for what you have to work with, well done."

His eyes perked up, turning to the side to see the ritual playing out on the Scroll next to them.

"Oh my, they're already starting the Super Saiyan God ritual."

Genn blinked, moving out of his seat and swinging around Whis' side to stare down at the Scroll.

"Wow...it looks...different than last time."

Whis narrowed his eyes, studying the scene.

"Yes...it looks like Vegetto is guiding the light of the other Saiyans somehow."

Genn raised an eyebrow.

"How? And what does that mean?"

Whis kept his attention locked on the Scroll.

"I honestly have no clue."

==============================

Kassava's eyes remained wide, her body levitating into the air along with her hair rapidly flowing upwards from the force of the winds. The blue flames continued to spiral around her, her eyes turning down and staring at Vegetto. The fear in her expression dissipated at the sight of his warm smile, her breathing stabilizing to normal and her body relaxing high into the air. A blinding white flash began to illuminate from her form, exploding outward in every direction and prompting the others to shield themselves from the light.

Beerus' eyes narrowed slightly, studying the glowing illumination from his chair. His eyes followed the light as it rapidly receded, and like a blue plume of smoke, the energy rapidly cascaded off of the woman's body to reveal her fully transformed. Kassava slowly descended back down to the ground, her now red eyes wide and her arms raised, staring down at her hands. Her entire body had thinned out slightly, her hair now a dark shade of crimson red. The firey aura of Super Saiyan God flowed freely upward, Kassava's feet lightly connecting to floor and her attention turning up from her hands and to Vegetto, who crossed his arms.

"Not bad. You're definitely stronger than Kakarot was when he first became a god against Lord Beerus."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, his wide eyes having turned from Kassava to Vegetto at the revelation.

"What are you talking about?"

Vegetto's narrowed eyes remained locked on Kassava, the female Saiyan also mirroring his confident expression with one of her own as the two ignored the prince's questioning.

"Is that because we had seven Saiyans helping instead of six?"

Vegetto nodded.

"The form is only a taste of godly power, and we know now that the ritual wasn't necessary to reach it. The inner light within each individual Saiyan can be raised in a similar manner to ki, where enough training and willpower can push you into the realm of the gods. Instead of subjecting you to that level of intensity, we merely bent the rules and allowed other Saiyans to amplify your own with theirs."

He raised a finger.

"Adding one more on top of the six merely pushes you to an even greater starting point, nothing more. That is why you will stand a better chance in this fight."

Kassava paused, the reminder of the test slowly dawning on her as Beerus casually strode up to the two, his arms clasped behind his back. Whis smiled down at the two, his hand tightly clutching his scepter.

"Well Lord Beerus, are you pleased with the result?"

Beerus kept a flat expression.

"Yes...it's my reward for being so patient."

His eyes then narrowed slightly, a small smirk forming across his face.

"Now then, as for the deal, I made a bargain with the Earthlings to spare their world if they could summon a Super Saiyan God. I was expecting one of them to become the prophesied warrior to face me, but it would seem the honor fell to you. An outsider, who is not of this world?"

Kassava nodded.

"That's right."

Beerus kept his smirk.

"Then you should have no allegiance to this planet. If that is the case, you should have no problem fighting me all out and potentially destroying this world in the ensuring chaos, correct?"

Kassava narrowed her eyes, turning to face towards Beerus.

"I do have a problem with it, actually. If they made a deal with you to protect their home, then I'll honor it too. You will spare this world if I can beat you."

Beerus narrowed his eyes slightly, but chuckled lightly.

"You certainly seem quite sure of yourself, giving me orders like that. But if you can prove you're stronger than me now, I'll happily do you the favor of not destroying their world."

Vegetto held an amused smirk, leaning forward slightly near Kassava's ear.

"You didn't have to say that, you know."

Kassava glanced to the side, her expression softening.

"Why not? They helped me gain this power...I should at least return the favor and help them keep this planet."

Vegetto chuckled lightly.

"It's considerate of you, but do remember that this battle isn't supposed to happen in history at all. Chornoa will return everything back to how history is supposed to unfold once we're done here: you can have as much fun as you want with this fight."

Whis' eyebrows perked for a moment, a smile across his face.

"Ah...I see now. You're with the Time Patrol, aren't you?"

Beerus' own eyebrows perked as well, his attention turning to Vegetto.

"And you there...your voice. It sounds familiar...like the Prince and that other simpleton over there."

His eyes diverted to Goku and Vegeta for a moment, before turning back and sharpening a bit on Vegetto.

"Come to think of it, you even look like them too. Not to mention the Potara of the Kaioshins hang from your ears...are you their fusion?"

Vegetto nodded curtly.

"Yes. I'm also her mentor."

He nodded back to Kassava, crossing his arms.

"If you can't defeat her, however, then you won't stand a chance against me."

Beerus kept narrowed eyes, a small smirk returning to his expression.

"Very well, but I expect your interference if she proves to lack the power to match me."

Vegetto scoffed lightly in response, moving to his left as Whis spoke up.

"Alright everyone, things are about to get a bit dangerous. You should probably give them some space."

The other fights moved off in a quick and brisk jog, moving to the stairs as Kassava spaced her feet apart, her right arm raising and bent in front of her chest, her hand balling tightly into a fist. Her left arm moved out in front, her fist pointing down to mirror Vegetto's stance. Beerus' eyes narrowed, his own arms at his sides while he watched her take up her position, his tail flickering around behind him. The orange and red flames of her aura returned, steadily rising up from underneath her feet and a strong breeze billowing outward around the two.

Kassava tensed, suddenly erupting forward into a quick dash and lunging forward, her right arm shooting forward rapidly with a thunderous roar. Beerus' smirk grew as she approached, his own hand lifting and his legs spacing out slightly to handle the force of the impact. Her fist neatly collided into his palm, the resulting shockwave exploding outward in every direction to shake the very ground beneath their feet and uproot the ground into a small crater. The clouds above the two parted heavily from the traveling aftershock, soon calming into another summer breeze as Beerus held Kassava's fist in his palm.

"So tell me: how does it feel becoming a god?"

Kassava remained still, her expression softening slightly.

"It's...incredible. Before I could feel the energy taking its toll on my body...but this...I can't feel anything. The power just comes on its own, and no matter how much I force out, I still feel fresh."

Beerus' smirk rose.

"I see, it surprises you. It's taking you time to fathom what you can do now."

He slowly rose up from the ground into the air, his arms folding neatly behind his back again. Kassava perked her eyes up, her focus returning to Beerus as she followed after him. Now floating high above the ground, both fighters came to a halt a few meters away from each other. Beerus let out a small grunt in amusement, floating forward lazily and lunging out with his right leg as his arms still clasped behind his back. Kassava winced, throwing up her right arm to block the blow, only to catch Beerus' opposite knee driving into her side. She rocketed back slightly, her arms still up and jabbing forward right as Beerus shot forward, the fist connecting to the god's cheek. Beerus winced slightly, quickly recovering and jabbing with his knee again.

Kassava's arm swung around low, punching the knee to the side and causing Beerus flip sideways off balance. The god blinked hard in confusion, his eyes only following Kassava as she spun around, her left leg slamming into his side in a round house kick and sending him flying across the the open sky towards the city line. Beerus righted himself in mid air, throwing up his arms and rapidly blocking the oncoming blows of Kassava's fists as she instantly closed the gap to him, the two erupting into a furious exchange of punches and kicks. Neither warrior gained the upper hand, Beerus and Kassava both connecting their fists together cleanly before leaping back slightly. Kassava panted lightly, staring up at Beerus who kept a stern stare down at her while he floated up slightly.

"Yes good...now you're getting it."

Kassava only frowned in response, prompting to raise an eyebrow.

"What's the matter? You seem disappointed."

Kassava kept a flat expression with her frown.

"Honestly, yeah."

Beerus blinked.

"Why? Don't you like being a deity?"

Kassava sighed lightly, glancing down in response.

"It's not that. It's just...fighting with you isn't as fun as I'd thought it'd be."

Beerus narrowed his eyes.

"Is that so? Would you prefer it if I started trying?"

Kassava glanced back up, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not you, Lord Beerus. I've seen the history of the gods before, and I know I'm not strong enough to compete with you. But even if you could push me to be even stronger than I am now...you're still not...him."

Beerus raised an eyebrow.

"Him?"

Kassava nodded once.

"Yeah...my...uh...mentor. When we fight...it just feels special. Without him, I feel like a part of me is missing out, and getting weaker. Like I'm being held back."

Beerus narrowed his eyes.

"I see. And this limit disturbs you?"

Kassava nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sorry Lord Beerus...but you're not him. I can't fight you with the same spirit as I can with him."

Beerus' smirk returned, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me then: what if he fought by your side? Would that change your mind?"

Kassava blinked.

"Huh? Like...if we fought you together?"

Beerus nodded.

"Of course. Fighting the Super Saiyan God is why I came to this world...but if she lacks the spirit to fight me without her mentor, then I won't be satisfied. If including him into the battle will change that, then I'll gladly face you both at once."

Kassava broke out into a grin, the flames shooting out slightly as she brought her arms in.

"Really?! You mean that?!"

Beerus chuckled lightly, nodding towards the group still huddling by the poolside.

"Yes...go on now. You've shown me that you have the potential to rival my power: I look forward to seeing what your mentor is capable of as well."

Kassava kept her grin, happily erupting into a dash and shooting backwards across the sky. She rapidly came to a halt, dropping down to the ground and breaking out into a small sprint. The others stared in confusion at the sight, Vegetto blinked hard as well once she suddenly latched onto his upper gi with both hands, her grin still strong.

"Hey...come fight with me!"

Vegetto blinked hard once again.

"Huh?"

Kassava tilted her head slightly to the side, her smile widening.

"Come fight with me! Beerus said it's alright if we fight him together!"

Vegetto frowned.

"Kass...this is your test. You're supposed to fight him alone, without help."

Kassava softened in her expression, her smile fading.

"Yeah I know...but it's not as fun without you there. Please?"

Vegetto sighed, shaking his head. He lifted his arms up, grasping onto her shoulders and pushing her back slightly.

"Look, there's just some things you have to do on your own. Trust me on this one...I'll still be here when you get back, and I'll be rooting for you every step of the way. But you need to fight him alone: you won't get any stronger if I'm there, making things easier for you and holding you back."

Kassava frowned, meeting his eyes.

"But I thought we were a team."

Vegetto stared back into her eyes, the enthusiasm slowly fading from her expression. He frowned instinctively at the sight, at a loss for words but turned his head at the sound of Whis' voice.

"If I may interject here."

Vegetto and Kassava both peered over to Whis, who smiled down at them.

"I don't know you two very well...but anyone could see the clear motivation to fight waver in her face there."

His eyes turned to Vegetto, narrowing slightly.

"She obviously depends on you a great deal, and won't face Lord Beerus with the same mindset as yours. Can't you see that?"

Vegetto kept his frown, turning away from Whis and pulling his arms back.

"Well...yes, I suppose so. But if I help, I'll just be making things easier for her and she won't grow as strong as she could. She would be losing out on so much, having me help her whenever she gets into trouble."

Whis nodded.

"Perhaps if she did not know how to temper her reliance on you and fought with the same mentality as those two over there-"

The taller angel gestured to Goku and Vegeta, who stared on in confusion from the staircase and out of hearing range. Whis turned back to Vegetto, his smile remaining.

"-but she is not like them, nor are you. In fact...you are more of a symbol than anyone of how fighting alone is not always the best solution."

Vegetto perked his head up, watching Whis lean back slightly.

"You are a fusion: the perfect example of what happens when two fighters learn to work together to become something more than just themselves. Your entire existence wouldn't be possible if those two had decided to only fight alone, you know."

Vegetto nodded once, glancing down.

"Yeah...yeah I suppose you're right."

Kassava's grin slowly returned, peering up into Vegetto's eyes.

"So? Are you going to help me now?"

Vegetto kept a stern expression, still glancing down for a moment. His head slowly lifted, eyeing the small speck of Beerus off in the distance for a second before turning back to Kassava, smirking.

"Alright, fine. We'll fight him together."

He suddenly pulled his arms up, gritting his teeth together and letting out a thunderous roar. Kassava instinctively took a step back, the ground shaking violently beneath their feet while Whis stared on with wide eyes, floating back slightly as well.

"Oh my."

The blinding white light encased Vegetto's form rapidly, soon exploding outwards like broken glass as the signature blue flame like aura encircled his body, the particles of light brilliant flowing off of his gi. His now blue eyes turned to the others, watching their stunned expressions for a moment before he glanced to Whis.

"C'mon Kass, let's go."

Vegetto shot up into the air shortly afterwards, not waiting for a response. Kassava kept her grin, following after his blue trail with her own coated in red and orange flames, the two soon coming to a halt a few meters in front of Beerus. The god's eyes were wide at the sight of the blue aura, studying Vegetto intently with his arms at his sides.

"So it's true after all. I was wondering if you had the power of a god as well."

Vegetto nodded, a smirk strong across his face.

"I've been training vigorously, hoping to defeat you in combat someday on my own."

His head shifted slightly to the side, his eyes landing on Kassava.

"But I suppose this will have to do."

Beerus unfolded his arms from behind his back, tensing for the first time as a dark purple aura of ominous energy suddenly encased his body. His smirk widened, waving the two Saiyans on. Vegetto pulled up his arm, narrowing his eyes while Kassava also mimicked his stance. Vegetto turned his head slightly, his expression stern.

"I've never fought with anyone helping me before, Kass. So...just do what I say, when I say, and I'll be able to fight him without getting in your-"

Vegetto blinked, stopping mid sentence as Kassava suddenly bolted forward, a wild grin on her face with her right arm pulled back.

"I'll take him first!"

The flames shot forward, swirling around the woman's arm as she launched into a furious flurry of punches aimed at Beerus' upper torso. The god narrowed his eyes slightly, a small hint of shock in his expression as he dodged the consecutive strikes, his own arms flying up to parry some of the blows away. Vegetto narrowed his eyes, bolting forward after her and shooting his left arm out in a single punch aimed at Beerus' knee, who shot up the leg and kicked Vegetto's fist upwards.

Vegetto gasped, shooting up from the force of the kick and sailing in between both Kassava and Beerus, narrowly missing his teammate. Kassava yelped, floating back and frowning.

"Hey! Watch it!"

Vegetto whirled around, spinning back to face towards Beerus and loomed over the two.

"Me?! You're the one not keeping track of what I'm doing!"

Beerus floated with a flat expression, rubbing his chin.

"Perhaps I overestimated your capability to work as a team."

Vegetto clenched his fists together, narrowed eyes trained on Beerus.

"Kass, charge him now."

Beerus' eyes turned down from Vegetto, his smirk still strong as Kassava bolted forward at the command. He casually dodged the incoming swipes from the female Saiyan, floating back along as she struggled to land a hit. His eyes soon left her, however, keeping track of Vegetto who floated high above with his arms cupped behind his back. The god of destruction scoffed, suddenly catching Kassava's fist neatly in his palm and pulling her closer to him, spinning her around and quickly kicking her down towards the planet. Kassava yelped, flipping down for only a second before widening her eyes, Vegetto appearing from thin air in her flight pattern.

"Ha!"

Vegetto threw his arms up, his eyes widening in shock shortly after a large blue ball of energy shot forward towards Kassava as she plummeted towards him. The blast collided head on with Kassava's hands, the female Saiyan holding the blast back after recovering in mid air. She winced heavily, the energy blast forcing her higher and higher into the air against her will.

"Damnit Vegetto! Whose side are you on?!"

Her eyes turned to Beerus, the blast pushing her closer up to him. The god watched with an amused smirk, mockingly waving at her with his right arm as she was pushed higher and higher into the air from the energy. Her eyes widened suddenly, soon narrowing with a small smirk before letting out a thunderous roar. The flames of her aura rapidly flared out, the blast soon coming to a halt once she reached the same level in the sky as Beerus, who watched on with narrowed eyes. Kassava grunted, her left hand closer to Beerus shaking in holding the blast while her right shifted around the side of the sphere, palming it tightly. She suddenly pulled her left arm back, all of her might pushing into the side of the sphere to send it flying directly to Beerus, who gasped slightly at the development. The god threw his arms up quickly, the blast striking him head on and erupting into a massive explosion high in the sky.

Kassava huffed to herself, lowering her arm and staring into the smoke cloud. Her eyes widened slightly, watching the smoke suddenly disperse from a small gust of wind. Beerus floated unharmed, having thrown his right arm out to swipe the smoke away. A dark ominous glow of purple radiated off of his body, however, soon dispersing as well as Beerus let out a heavy sigh.

"That wasn't a bad attack. Even more so that I was almost caught off guard from your two's failure to collaborate well in combat."

Kassava tensed, another burst of wind erupting and blasting her hair back as Beerus charged forward, lunging out with his right fist. Kassava tilted to the side, narrowly dodging the swipe and quickly juked to the opposite side, dodging another swipe. Her forearms shot up, blocking the next couple of hits before Beerus threw his right knee forward, slamming it into her stomach. Kassava's eyes went wide, wincing heavily and clutching her stomach. Beerus clasped his hands together, holding them both over his head and preparing to swipe them down, but suddenly rocketed to the side from a powerful boot slamming into his ribs.

Beerus yelped, stumbling a bit before retaliating with a kick of his own into Vegetto's chest. He stumbled forwards, however, from another sudden blow to the back of his neck, Kassava's fist hanging in air after connecting the strike. Beerus whirled around quickly, the three exchanging blows for a few seconds in sequence. Each strike Beerus landed on one was rapidly succeeded by the other's counter attack, Beerus' eyebrows twitching heavily in anger with each attack landed on his body. After the sixth blow, the god of destruction shot high up into the sky, the insurmountable fury clear in his wide eyes.

"STOP THAT!"

Vegetto and Kassava stared in awe, the entire sky blackening in the massive surge of red and orange energy swirling above Beerus' hands. The sphere expanded out rapidly, growing to the size of nearly a moon within seconds, clouds evaporating at the touch of the bright energy. Beerus roared, suddenly hurling his hands down and propelling the massive sun like blast down to the ground. Vegetto and Kassava both threw their hands up, holding the blast and floating backwards towards the ground. Both Saiyans winced heavily, soon reaching the ground in seconds and digging their feet into the stone. Vegetto roared at the top of his lungs, driving his right leg up and punting the blast back upwards, Kassava stumbling forward after the immense weight of the sphere left her hands and shot high into the sky.

Vegetto panted lightly, his sharp eyes glaring up at Beerus high in the sky, the sun-like sphere soon disappearing into space. With his arms at his sides, Vegetto then turned back to Kassava, watching her pick herself up and stand upright.

"You alright?"

Kassava nodded, her red hair suddenly changing back to its normal shade of black in the middle of her gesture. She stood upright, completely unaware of the reverted state she now stood in, raising her fists up.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

Vegetto frowned.

"Your god power just expired."

Kassava blinked, glancing down.

"What?!"

She took a moment to look herself over once more, frowning heavily.

"How the hell did that even happen?!"

Vegetto sighed.

"It's part of the transformation. Happens to all of us: your body needs time to adapt to that sort of energy before you can really wield it without worrying about stretching yourself too thin."

Kassava kept her frown, staring up.

"Damnit...how are we going to win now? He nearly took us out with a little temper tantrum, and now I don't have this god power anymore."

Vegetto nodded.

"He's a lot stronger than I give him credit for, I'm not sure we can win this fight attacking him like we did earlier."

He turned slightly towards her, smirking.

"I have an idea though."

Kassava raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

Vegetto turned his head back up.

"It's something I probably should've taught you in the beginning; about Super Saiyans that is. The power of god, once you've learned how to tap into on your own, is amplified by the Super Saiyan transformation. This-"

The fused warrior gestured to himself.

"-is the result: Super Saiyan Blue."

Kassava kept her eyebrow raised, staring back in confusion.

"Ok? Is this really the time for a lesson?"

Vegetto kept his smirk, raising his arms up.

"You're going to love this...trust me."

He balled his gloved hands together tightly into fists.

"And this-"

Lightning suddenly exploded outwards around the blue aura, the two bangs dangling in front of his eyes rapidly shooting up into the rest of his hair. Vegetto gritted his teeth together, stifling a small scream as he finished powering up.

"-is the power of a god with a Super Saiyan that has ascended past a Super Saiyan. Or...you can just call it Super Saiyan Blue 2."

Kassava blinked, staring on.

"So...that's what it is? There's a second Super Saiyan form?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"Yes..."

He turned his head back up, his narrowed eyes studying Beerus high in the sky.

"But I can tell even this form won't be enough now. So...I'll just have to take it up to the next level."

==========================

The Supreme Kai of Time and the Elder Kai both stared down at the Scroll with wide eyes, the Elder speaking first.

"Surely he isn't planning what I think he's planning...is he?"

The Supreme Kai of Time frowned.

"I hope not. The last time he used Super Saiyan 3 against Lord Beerus...he drained all his power in under five hits. With Blue...I don't see him even activating the power."

Whis mused to himself, staring down at the Scroll while rubbing his chin.

"Hmm...I do remember how short lived that was. Blue also requires perfect mastery of his energy, while Super Saiyan 3 seemed to rely on a reckless push for the ultimate power within. Those two combined together...that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."

He dropped his arm.

"With Kassava losing the edge of the false Super Saiyan God form, she likely won't be able to assist as much, no matter how strong her body has become from it."

Whis suddenly broke out into a warm smile, leaning forward.

"How exciting! If Vegetto is truly as gifted as we are led to believe, then this should prove to be a true display of his combat capabilities!"

The Supreme Kai of Time sighed.

"Geez Whis...why can't you ever take anything seriously?"

===============

Kassava blinked hard, watching on as Vegetto squated down slightly, his eyes widening and his dual voice straining.

"And this-"

The blue aura rapidly exploded outward, the flame like zeal of the energy contorting into sparks of electricity, jagged in their rise.

"IS...TO GO...EVEN FURTHER BEYOND!!"

Vegetto's dual voice echoed out into the sky as storm force winds exploded outwards in every direction, Kassava yelping and tumbling backwards from the impact. The ground beneath the fused warrior's feet cracked heavily, soon crushing completely while the entire planet began to shake violently from the force of the power up. Only a few feet away, Whis' eyes widened along with the group collectively shielding themselves near the stair case. The taller angel waved his scepter, a green oval forming over himself and the group to shield themselves from the onslaught of the winds.

Kassava cringed heavily, having caught onto a nearby tree and struggling to keep her grip through the winds. Vegetto's roar continued to deafen the rising energy, his blue hair slowly growing outward along his back. The two bangs dropped down over his eyes, the eyebrows fading into his skin. With one thunderous roar, the bright blinding blue light erupted outwards as Vegetto threw his arms down, disappearing into the violent energy that shot in every direction.

Beerus' eyes widened, staring down at the bright blue spectacle beneath him that stretched out across nearly as far as he could see. He blinked hard at the small little speck below, remaining still. Down on the ground, Vegetto stood with narrowed eyes, the long flowing blue spikes gently floating inside of his flame like aura. The glittering particles now flowed off of his long hair and his gi, the violent lightning thinner and more concentrated to the center of his form. Kassava's mouth hung open, now lying nearly flat on the grass a few feet away near the tree she clutched onto as Vegetto pulled his arms back down behind his back. His narrowed eyes turned slightly towards her, a small grunt escaping his lips and speaking with a very gruff, dual voice.

"Heh...I can't use this form for long. I'll have to end it one move."

He turned his head fully towards her, his smirk widening.

"Your move."

Kassava blinked again, watching on while Vegetto turned his head back to the sky, his smirk morphing quickly into a stern frown. Both of his palms swirled with bright blue energy, forming a small sphere in his hands.

"Dragon's Fire!!!"

Hurling both arms forward, Vegetto roared as his cupped hands shot up, a massive blue dragon made of pure energy spiralling forward high into the sky. The dragon roared in its ascension, rapidly closing in on Beerus, who threw his own arms up and let out a gigantic roar of his own. The dark purple energy encased his body rapidly, the god of destruction using both hands to slap the massive blue dragon to the side.

Vegetto chuckled at the sight, balling both of his hands tightly into fists. He took a moment to gather his energy, his right fist glowing with crimson red energy while his left was encircled by bright blue power matching the dragon in the sky that headed for the cold reaches of space. The fused warrior suddenly bolted upwards, pulling his right arm back and charging upward with his left fist extended out and bolting up off of the same leg.

Beerus quickly gathered himself, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Vegetto rapidly approaching.

Wait a minute...he's charging off the wrong foot...

The god's eyes widened suddenly, watching Vegetto's extended left fist suddenly snap back, bending at the elbow. He turned his head around, the massive blue dragon suddenly turning around and rapidly shooting back down towards him. Beerus turned back to face towards Vegetto just in time to see the warrior lunge with his right fist instead.

"Dragon's Fist!!"

A monstrous red dragon rapidly surged forward in Vegetto's place, the fused warrior stopping mid flight from the force of the energy spiralling outwards into the air. Beerus cried out, the two dragons swirling around him and quickly constricting him into their cylinder bodies, erupting into a violent explosion that rapidly engulfed the entire planet.

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 31: The War Effort

==========

Spoiler

"You really couldn't resist, could you?"

Trunks stared down with sharp eyes, his hands resting neatly on top of his hips underneath his black coat. He stood with Genn at his side, his glare strong on Vegetto and Kassava, both sitting next to each other against the main table inside of the Time Vault. Whis, the Supreme Kai of Time, and the Elder Kai all watched on from a few feet away with blank expressions, Trunks' voice raising slightly as he continued.

"You were only supposed to go in there to complete the ritual! You didn't even need to fight Beerus again, much less kill him!"

Vegetto turned his head up.

"I didn't think it would...well, you know...kill him."

Trunks scoffed.

"Of course you didn't think, you weren't even fighting him for a sensible reason in the first place! You just had to keep pushing for a better fight, and now here you both are, worn out and damaged from the after effects of your little stunt."

He turned his head slightly to the Supreme Kai of Time with a frown.

"How long until the Demon Army arrives?"

The Supreme Kai of Time kept a strong frown.

"Minutes...maybe even seconds at this point. They'll be on the city soon."

Trunks shook his head, grunting.

"Wonderful...who is going to stop Black now?!"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't you?"

Trunks kept a sharp glare.

"You and I both know I'm no where near strong enough to take him on."

Vegetto grunted.

"With that attitude, of course not."

Trunks stifled a small sarcastic chuckle, his eyebrow raising as well.

"And what attitude should I have? Yours and Kassava's?"

Vegetto cringed heavily, pushing himself off the floor and struggling up to his feet with a pained dual voice.

"Yeah...you should."

Trunks' eyebrow dropped, his eyes following Vegetto as he continued.

"The Patrol is ready to fight, you've done all the work we can do preparing for them. Why not...cut loose a little and have fun with it? To see what you're really capable of?"

Trunks shook his head once.

"Because I'm not like you, nor my father. I don't care what I'm capable of: I just want to stop them from destroying our home."

Vegetto shook his head once.

"Believe that all you want, but that's not what you are. You've put the entire world on your shoulders, trying to fight for everyone. You've let your focus shift to them, caring more for the others than yourself. Until it's pushed you to see everything differently...from the eyes of those you protect instead of your own."

Trunks narrowed his eyes.

"And what's so bad about fighting for someone other than myself?"

Vegetto frowned.

"Because your father fought the same way. He wasn't noble like you...but he wanted everyone to bow to his might. Not just to be the strongest...but for everyone to know it. He cared about his own power...but soon his vision changed, and all he could see was who stood in the way of that dream. That's why he was always one step behind Kakarot: he would always chase after him...instead of focusing more on himself."

Trunks blinked, his eyes turning down. The realization slowly creeped into his expression, Vegetto's eyes narrowing slightly and staring down at him.

"You've done the same...you've spent too long thinking of others and forgotten what you are capable of. You see the threat for what it is, and how far of a leap you'd have to take to overcome it. And now, you don't think you can do it...because you've forgotten what you can do."

Trunks shook his head once.

"You know what I'm capable of. I've already fought him once...you saw how well that went."

Vegetto scoffed.

"Stop focusing on his power. You lost because you kept chasing his strength in the heat of battle, instead of just focusing on your own."

Trunks turned his eyes back up, Vegetto's stern stare remaining.

"You've seen what's possible...and you know how it is done. You've used all three forms of Super Saiyan...and you can tap into the power of a god at will. All you have to do is just bring them together."

Trunks stared back up at Vegetto, his expression flat.

"And what if I can't?"

Vegetto matched his emotionless stare.

"Then everyone dies."

Trunks scoffed.

"That's not very reassuring."

Vegetto shook his head once.

"No...it's not. But you need a clear mind to control your energy, and you'll never get to a level you need to be at to stop Zamas if you keep letting this stress cloud your thoughts."

Trunks kept his frown for a moment, glancing down.

"I...want to believe you, and I want to be strong. But I just...I can't just let go of everyone. These people...these families...they deserve to live. If I fight your way...then I would be doing just as much damage to our fighters as to theirs. I can't let that happen."

Vegetto's lips rose slightly into a smirk, his eyes still trained on Trunks.

"In that case...Whis."

Whis perked up.

"Hmm?"

Vegetto's smirk remained, his dual voice flat.

"Call the Patrol back to the Time Vault. Maybe throw in a television so they can see what's happening out in Conton City once they've all pulled back."

Trunks blinked, turning to Whis as the angel nodded curtly.

"Very well, that shouldn't be a problem."

Trunks' eyes narrowed, his voice raising once again.

"Are you out of your mind?! They deserve a chance to fight for their homes!!"

Vegetto shook his head.

"You're only giving them the chance to die for what matters to them. This way...no one will get in your way, and you can really cut loose."

Trunks kept his frown, his eyes still wide in frustration.

"You can't be serious!! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen: you two were the ones that were supposed to fight him! I can't take them all on by myself!"

Trunks turned rapidly to the Supreme Kai of Time, his frown deepening.

"Surely the rest of you can see he's gone off the deep end, right?"

Whis smiled, speaking up before either Kai could interject.

"I don't see the problem. It would surely be an interesting battle, if you are able to manage a transformation beyond Super Saiyan Blue."

Trunks shook his head.

"Are you crazy?! I still can't fight them all by myself: there' too many of them!"

Vegetto chuckled lightly, nodding back down to the table.

"Fine, have it your way then. You won't be alone...we'll gather our energy, and lend you our power."

Trunks stared back at Vegetto, flinching at the fused warrior's right gloved hand soon reaching out and grasping tightly on his shoulder. Vegetto let out a small grunt, a small shockwave of air erupting out from around his body as a white glow of energy suddenly encircled around Trunks' body, prompting him to step back with a groan.

His eyes remained locked on Vegetto, watching him drop down to one knee and pant heavily.

"You really are insane!"

Vegetto chuckled lowly, his breathing slowly slightly but still heavily labored.

"It's...alright Trunks. Whis will get more senzus...and I'll be fine. Take what little power I have left, and show Zamas what you're made of. What we're made of...I guess."

Trunks kept his frown, the white aura rapidly flaring up around his entire body. He glanced down to his outstretched hands for a moment, his voice still dripping with disapproval.

"You said you wanted me to fight on my own...but you're giving me your power? What are you trying to teach me here...to fight for myself or fight for others?! I never understand your damn cryptic advice, none of this makes sense!"

Vegetto stifled another small chuckle.

"Call it a compromise."

Trunks glanced back up, his eyes still narrowed and met Vegetto's harsh glare with his own.

"We've been at odds for awhile now, and I know I can't expect you to fight like I do. So I'm giving you what energy I have left, and so will the others. They'll lend you their power, and give you the edge you want to take him down, just like your future self did in history."

His glare sharpened, a frown returning.

"But if you can't do it...if it's not enough...I don't want you to be out there begging for more energy. You're capable of so much more than you think, and you'll do it if you just bring it out. Got it?"

Trunks' expression softened, still staring hard into the fused warrior's eyes for a few seconds. His own frown slowly lifted into a warm smile, his eyebrows perking.

"You're worried about me...aren't you? I can see it in your eyes."

Vegetto blinked for a moment, but quickly glanced to the side with an agitated scowl.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm disappointed that you're not seeing things for what they are. Trying to play hero again will get you killed, but at least this way, you'll know what you have to do when you fall flat on your face again."

Trunks nodded once, his arms dropping.

"Maybe you're right. But you said it yourself: compromise. I've always wanted you to focus more on helping everyone, on being the hero they deserve...but I see now that maybe, I should've taken after you a little bit more as well."

Vegetto peered back to the side, his scowl softening as Trunks took a step toward him.

"I'll fight like you...I'll use that same motivation...on one condition."

Vegetto perked an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

Trunks kept his smile.

"You tell me the truth. Are you worried about me going out there by myself?"

Vegetto turned his eyes back to the side, dodging Trunks' intense stare and fidgeting slightly.

"Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

Trunks' smile lifted slightly.

"It's just a simple question. Just give me an honest answer...and I'll do what needs to be done. Whether it's true or not."

Vegetto kept his stare to the side, standing in silence for a few seconds. He then slowly inhaled, deeply breathing in and pushing out the air with a disgruntled sigh, turning his head back to Trunks.

"Alright...I'm worried. Happy now?"

Trunks nodded once, turning his head to the sigh.

"Yeah...yeah I am."

Vegetto perked an eyebrow in confusion, watching Trunks suddenly turn on his heel and stride towards the staircase. The confusion was clear in his expression watching Trunks rise up the steps with a frown.

"Wait...aren't you going to take everyone else's energy with you? You can still add Kassava's, Genn's, and the rest of the Patrol to your base there."

Trunks stopped halfway up the steps, turning slightly back towards the group.

"No...I think this will be enough. It's..well..."

He dropped his head, chuckling to himself for a moment before continuing.

"It's funny...I used to watch the history from the fight with Zamasu, and I always envied how that Trunks was able to fight side by side with...father. I tried to imagine what that must've felt like, how much could be done with that kind of support."

Vegetto perked his eyebrows slightly, watching Trunks turn back with another warm smile.

"It may not be the same as fighting side by side...but my father is much stronger than his. With his power, I should be able to do anything."

Vegetto blinked, quickly shaking off his stunned stare and narrowing his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Don't get too full of yourself. We'll be right behind you, this isn't a suicide mission."

Trunks nodded once, turning back on his heel.

"Right...I'll see you on the battlefield."

Vegetto's eyes followed Trunks, watching him disappear quickly into the hallway and out the Time Vault. He then grunted, turning slightly at the elbow poking into his side and staring back at a smirking Kassava.

"Father, huh? Way to go, old man."

Vegetto smirked back, scoffing.

"Tsk...at least I'm not as old as you are. Kakarot and Vegeta were barely born when you were a kid, you old bat."

Kassava scoffed as well, coughing a bit before retorting.

"Fine fine...you win this game."

Vegetto shook his head once, his eyes turning slightly towards Whis as he moved up to the table.

"Alright...Whis, can you get us more senzus?"

Vegetto's stare remained locked on the Scroll, but soon turned up at the lack of response to his question. He blinked in confusion, watching Whis stare at the Vault staircase blankly for a few moments before lifting up his right hand, snapping his fingers together.

"Whis? Are you napping?"

Whis shook his head, his eyes wide and slowly recollecting himself as he turned to Vegetto.

"Oh, my apologies. Did you say something?"

Vegetto nodded once.

"Yeah...can you get another bag of senzus for us? I don't want Trunks fighting by himself for long."

Whis nodded.

"Right...right I can do that."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, staring back at Whis in confusion at the sight of the angel's detached state from reality.

"Everything alright Whis?"

Whis nodded once again.

"Yes, everything is fine. I did just have a question though...about what just occurred there."

Vegetto narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What is it?"

Whis cleared his throat, pausing for a moment before speaking with a more reserved voice.

"Do you...truly consider him to be your son? I saw your concern for his safety as well...but I would like to know for certain."

Vegetto raised his eyebrow again.

"Why does that matter to you?"

Whis broke out into a warm smile.

"Curiosity, that's all. This has been a truly fascinating experience, as your world and Earth have been my first actual insights to mortal culture. I normally don't have much exposure to the people of the universe, as we move on from planet to planet too quickly if Beerus doesn't destroy the world itself."

Vegetto dropped his eyebrow, sighing hard once more.

"Yeah...I do, alright? Now can you get those senzus already?"

Whis stifled a small giggle, clutching on his scepter.

"Very well, no need for the hostility. I'll be back within the hour."

Vegetto watched Whis depart as well, his attention then turning to Genn.

"I need you to stay here and give us updates on the Demon Army's movements. If anyone starts getting close, we need to know so one of us can fly back and handle it."

Genn nodded, moving closer to the table.

"Ok, what about the Patrol though? Surely they can help reinforce the Vault here in case anyone gets through, right?"

Vegetto frowned, shaking his head once.

"No...we don't need them. More people out in the Nest here would only mean more potential kills for the Demons: we can handle anyone that gets too close with you giving us the heads up. Have them move into a training scroll until this is all over: we can use them as a last resort if anything happens to us."

Genn nodded once again.

"I'll take care of it. Anything else?"

Vegetto turned his head slightly to the side, smirking.

"Just get ready for a long day...and don't forget about that mask."

Genn blinked, staring back.

"Huh?"

Vegetto nodded to the ceramic mask in Genn's left hand.

"That mask. The Patrol is going to watch Trunks fight in the city first...but if things go well enough...there might be a chance for the Masked Saiyan to jump into the fight for a little while."

Genn's eyes widened a bit, staring back at Vegetto.

"You...you really mean it?"

Vegetto kept narrowed eyes.

"I said there might be a chance. But at the very least, the Patrol will know you're the one calling the shots from the Vault here. So...you can either be known for it as Genn or this little symbol you want to make yourself into. It's your call."

Genn eagerly nodded, rapidly pulling up the covering to his entire face. Shifting the ceramic piece into his position, his dark hair hovered over the front ends of the mask as the lights for the eye holes lit up with red lights, his voice muffled slightly underneath the piece.

"Thank you...I won't let you down."

Vegetto turned his head back to the table, the image of Trunks striding towards the end of the open hill overlooking Conton City Square coming up on the screen in front of them. His eyes narrowed slightly, Trunks slowly unsheathing his sword from the scabbard on his back with a warm grin on the screen.

Alright Trunks. Let's see what you can really do.

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 32: Warrior of Hope

==============

Spoiler

The small bit of light that managed to pierce through the clouds covering the sky above gave the ominous impression of an impending storm, the small breeze billowing through the empty streets of Conton City. Hundreds of men and women of various races floated above the skyline, most holding a confused expression and deep in thought. All of them headed in a singular direction: towards the Time Nest overlooking the entire city above, leaving the entrenchments some of them had created themselves.

Trunks inhaled deeply, standing still in front of the large stone statue of Vegetto in the center of the city. His narrowed eyes turned to the edge of the city, watching the open skies for a few seconds before turning further back, his eyes following the steady stream of retreating Patrollers. Many stared down at him, meeting him with looks of concern and confusion while Trunks held a flat stare of his own. Soon, the last remaining lines of warriors disappeared into the portal leading to the Time Vault, Trunks turning back towards the edge of the city once they had all disappeared. He held his sword in his right hand, the blade pointed towards the floor and his eyes soon landing on the large sea of white and black suddenly expanding out all above him. His eyebrows narrowed, studying the incoming monsters screeching and rapidly spiraling down towards him. A white light rapidly encased his body, shattering shortly into glass like shards that expelled out in every direction. The incoming first wave of demons took the shards to the front, the energy piercing through their armor and falling limp, their bodies crashing hard into the ground all around Trunks, the Super Saiyan Blue aura rapidly swirling around him. He slapped a few of the bodies that nearly crashed into him to the side with a flick of his wrist, using the back end of his hilt to redirect them away from his front.

He turned his head up, having stood in the same spot the entire time and watched more forms closely descend around next to him only inches away. Two demons lunged as soon as they hit the ground, propelling forward but soon rocketing out in opposite directions, Trunks having used his free fist and opposing leg to knock them away. He rapidly swirled around, his sword cleanly slashing to the right and left, two more demon soliders collapsing into halves at his feet. His narrowed eyes watched as the remaining army descended down from the sky, cracking and shaking the ground with tremors and surrounding him, careful to keep a few meters away. Trunks scanned through the near unending line of soldiers swarmed around him, yet holding still while he stood with his sword raised, prepared to strike. He tensed even more, his eyes finding Vegetto Black suddenly crashing onto the floor in front of the line of demon soldiers encircling them both. The doppelganger clad in newly refurbished gi held a confident smirk, his arms at his side and his hair already the sinister shade of pink.

"Trunks."

Trunks' glare sharpened.

"Zamasu."

Vegetto Black immediately frowned.

"No. I am not Zamasu, not anymore."

Trunks scoffed.

"Yeah, I heard your little change of heart last time we fought. You can dress yourself up in whatever face you want to, but I know what you're really are."

Vegetto Black chuckled darkly.

"Well now, aren't we feeling confident this time? You seem to remember me well, but you're forgetting just how poorly our last confrontation went for you."

His right eyebrow raised, his twisted grin rising.

"Have you found some power that can entertain me?"

Trunks grunted.

"If you find your death entertaining, then you'll definitely enjoy what I'm about to show you."

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Trunks' transformed state for a moment. His serious stare suddenly lightened, the doppelganger audibly yawning with a frown.

"So that's your big secret then? Instead of fighting against my army, the Patrol has pooled their energy together and put it into you? I can feel that little bit of energy that isn't yours, now that I took a closer look."

He narrowed his eyes once again.

"Don't waste my time, boy. Let's skip the pathetic attempt at a last stand and get to the part where you fetch me the real prize I'm after. Where is Vegetto?"

Trunks smirked, the white aura flaring slightly around the blue energy swirling around his body. Vegetto Black's disgruntled expression instantly vanished, his eyes widening slightly as Trunks spoke.

"Still think it's the Patrol I got this power from?"

Vegetto Black blinked hard, his muscles instinctively tensing up at the surging rise of energy emulating from Trunks. His stunned expression slowly morphed into another smirk, his own aura suddenly flaring up from underneath his white boots.

"He gave you his power..."

Trunks roared, the aura rapidly exploding outwards and surging in every direction. The ranks of the demon army fell backwards, the soldiers collapsing from the powerful push back left in the wake of Trunks' explosion of power. Vegetto Black laughed manically, a violent surge of dark pink and purple energy encasing into a sword around his hand before bolting towards Trunks, the two clashing their blades together in a violent shockwave of power. Trunks grimaced, the scraping blades of energy refusing to cut into one another as the statue of Vegetto began to crumble behind him, the rubble cascading down towards the two. Both Trunks and Vegetto Black lept backwards in opposite directions, avoiding the massive stone head of Vegetto's statue landing directly in the spot the two stood moments ago before both warriors collided once again in another few slashes of their swords.

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes into a stern stare, swinging his arm and flowing into a flurry of slashes, holding control of the battle in his offense. His frustration grew with each blocked strike, however, originally targeting Trunks' mid section with his slashes in controlled and measured strikes before eventually devolving into heavy, wild swipes aimed at various different angles along his body. Trunks stifled a small chuckle, his arms rapidly swinging up from blocking a slash at his left leg to parry the following strike aimed at his right shoulder, throwing Vegetto Black off balance long enough for Trunks to propel his right leg forward, slamming squarely into Vegetto Black's chest.

The doppelganger hacked, stumbling backwards and clutching onto his upper body for only a second, quickly throwing up his sword arm to block the incoming strike. He grimaced, struggling to keep Trunks at bay while the half Saiyan glared down at him from behind his sword, both hands on the hilt and pushing towards him in a violent exchange.

"What's wrong, Zamasu? Not as easy when the power gap has been closed, is it?!"

Vegetto Black yelped, keeling forward slightly at the impact of Trunks' right knee into his stomach. He stumbled forward, nearly collapsing to the ground and whirling around rapidly, his sword arm deflecting the incoming hack from Trunks' own sword before he crashed onto the floor with a grunt. He dashed rapidly, gaining a few meters of distance from Trunks after recovering from the hit and panting lightly, watching Trunks straighten himself out with a frown and narrowed eyes.

"Not as easy as slaughtering innocent people in the streets, or murdering the Patrol trying to stop you. Do you remember them Zamas?!"

Trunks' blue and white aura rapidly flared up, his eyes widening and his voice raising into a shout

"The ones you killed!!"

Vegetto Black tensed, the wind blasting him back a step as he threw up his arm, the pink energy blade nearly exploding from the impact force of Trunks' sword. His eyes went wide, floating back from the rapid sucession of strikes and struggling to keep pace, his head turning to the side.

"Damnit!! What the hell are you waiting for?! Attack him!!"

Trunks immediately stopped, gasping slightly and landing on his feet while glancing around. The roars of the demon army all around him threw off his sense, instinctively swinging his sword into a circular slash. The blade easily split the incoming soldiers that dashed forward first, the severed pieces of the army falling around him onto the hard floor. He continued to slash all around him, sending out blue blades of pure energy from his sword into the endless sea of soldiers all converging around him. Losing what little room remained between Trunks and the soliders, the half Saiyan bolted up into the sky, attempting to gain more distance for himself.

He quickly spun back around after flying up a few feet, twirling his sword out and sending four slashes of pure blue energy down to the group of soldiers flying after him, effectively dispersing the following attackers. His eyes turned at the sight of the pink and black flare of energy amidst the sea of demons beneath him, noticing the energy pulsing outward and knocking back a few waves of the soldiers from the source. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the black sparks of electricity swirling around the aura and the two bangs that hung from Vegetto Black's hairline now tucked away into his spiky bundle of hair.

So he can do it too. Typical.

Vegetto Black broke out into a smirk, placing his hands on his hips.

"Come down, Trunks. I'll fight you fair and square, now that I can use my real power."

Trunks scoffed.

"Fight fair, huh? Is that what you call sending your minions after me?"

Vegetto Black's smirk rose.

"You were the one trying to kill me before I could transform."

Trunks lowered his arms.

"Of course. I'm not here to play games, Zamas, or fight you fair. I'm here to stop you."

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes slightly, his dual voice flat.

"Fine, we'll play by your code of honor then."

Trunks' eyes widened suddenly, whirling around in time to catch a massive sphere of black energy slamming into his hands. He screamed, the blast easily sending him back towards the ground to the west as it crackled with massive sparks of ominous black lightning, an aura of dark red radiating around the black sphere. Trunks cringed, heavily struggling against the energy sphere in vain and barely making out the image of the two demon goddesses floating high above. His feet dug into the hard ground, tearing into the concrete while his arms trembled underneath the weight.

Trunks roared at the top of his lungs, his arms twitching hard as he found a solid footing and held the blast up, the energy violently raging in his ears. He panted heavily, turning his head down and dipping his shoulders in his decline to hold off the blast.

C'mon...I have to break this. I need...more power!

The weight on his arms diminished slightly at the thought, Trunks' eyes widening. His eyes turned down, the blue and white aura still strongly resonating against the darkness while more swirls of energy began to spiral up around his boots, encircling his entire body. A calming freshness washed over his muscles, despite the sphere still being heavy in his hands. 

This power...where is it coming from?

His eyes expanded even more.

"The Patrol!"

::That's what you get for running off too quick.::

Trunks turned his head down, the dual voice in his earpiece catching him off guard, his stunned expression remaining as it continued speaking.

::We're all watching from the Time Nest, Trunks: you should see them now, raising their hand and giving you their energy. But don't worry...even if that doesn't work, I have another special gift for you.::

Trunks blinked again, the sound of an unfamiliar masculine voice ringing out next.

::Go get em Trunks!::

A softer, feminine voice came next.

::You can do it Trunks!::

:: Push it back Trunks!!::

Trunks blinked again, Vegetto's voice returning and speaking over the cheers in Trunks' earpiece.

::Everyone has access to your channel now, so we'll help you focus. We'll be with you every step of the way.::

Trunks grinned widely, his aura flaring up underneath the dark energy surging above his head. He grimaced, the sphere lifting slightly at his command, his arms straightening out.

"Alright everyone!! Keep the energy coming...let's push this back!"

His left leg lifted, propeling his body forward with his right. Moving only a few inches, his left foot came back down, crushing the ground beneath his boot.

"One...step...at a time!"

Trunks continued to push forward, his right foot gaining ground next and slowly picking up his pace. The black sphere of energy rose into his hands, Trunks' arms fully locked and extended out to keep the blast away. His legs turned over quicker and quicker, breaking out into a slow jog that rapidly turned into a full sprint shortly after.

Towa narrowed her eyes at the sight above, the black sphere moving closer and closer towards the two from the ground. Her head turned to Putine, who stared down in the opposite direction towards the city with a smirk, her voice flat.

"Hey...wake up! Your blast is being pushed back!"

Putine blinked, whirling around and facing towards the oncoming sphere. Her eyes instantly narrowed into a glare, extending her right arm and expelling a small shockwave from her hand. The blast instantly expanded in size from the surge in power, Trunks' eyes widening and gasping once he felt the enormous weight back onto his arms. He cried out in pain, instantly dropping to one knee and struggling to keep the black sphere above his head and away from the ground.

::C'mon Trunks!!::

:: Don't give up!!::

::Go Trunks go!!::

Trunks roared at the sound of the oncoming cheers, the black sphere still pushing him closer and closer to the ground despite his efforts. The ground cracked and cratered beneath him, his entire body crunching closer together as his arms held the blast over his head, now almost fully balled up with his knees in his chest.

"I..can't! I...need...more!!"

The white aura surged more dramatically at his plea, the sphere lifting a few centimeters up. He cried out in pain, the lack of progress discouraging him further and shrinking back down again, Vegetto's voice ringing out next.

::You don't need anymore help!! Focus on your own strength now!!::

Trunks grit his teeth together, collapsing onto both knees.

::This is it: you have the power, you've always had it!! You know how to do it!!::

Trunks' eyes widened immensely, sparks of white lightning suddenly spiraling around his constricted body.

::JUST BRING IT OUT!!!::

=======================================

Towa and Putine both smirked at the sight of the black sphere slowly denting into the ground, rock and rubble exploding out in every direction as it pushed the defender further into the ground. Vegetto Black watched on with narrowed eyes, standing still in the open street while the remaining soldiers of the demon army ransacked the empty buildings around and seemingly ignoring the spectacle.

The doppelganger shot up into the air, maintaining his own transformed state and floating up next to the two demon goddesses, his eyes narrowed with a frown.

"That energy blast will surely destroy this city. We should move the army back."

Putine shrugged her shoulders.

"Who cares? The Patrol put all their faith into this boy...and he'll die shortly from the explosion. Even if our army is incinerated in the after shock, we'll have more than enough to end whatever survives the-

"Putine!"

Putine raised an eyebrow, Towa's urgent voice catching her offguard. Vegetto Black blinked as well, all three turning their eyes down to the sight of the black energy sphere slowly lifting back up from the half crater it formed. Putine's eyes went wide, her mouth agape as she spoke for the other two mirroring her expression.

"Impossible!"

The soldiers on the ground now stopped and turned as well, the surge of blue energy erupting out from underneath the black sphere radiating far enough to stimulate their basic senses. The black sphere hung in the air, shifting slightly as a lone figure holding the blast up with only his right arm walked out of the massive crater it left behind. Exhaling heavily through his nose, Trunks' narrowed eyes remained forward, standing upright with the sphere still propped above his head on his right arm, white and blue lightning sparks surging violently around his aura.

Vegetto Black's eyes remained wide, blinking hard at the sight.

"He's...ascended!"

Trunks turned his narrowed eyes to the right, watching the steady stream of soldiers begin to converge in a wave towards him. His eyes widened, roaring at the top of his lungs as he flung the massive blast of black energy towards the oncoming attackers. The soldiers instantly stopped midflight, too slow to dodge the sphere barreling towards them and frantically spinning around, only to be vaporized from the sheer power of the blast. Tearing through the waves of soldiers, the black sphere soon shot out of the city limits, disappearing from sight into the sky within seconds.

Drawing his sword, Trunks rapidly bolted up from the ground, the sparks of lightning crackling in every direction from the point of launch. Roaring at the top of his lungs, Trunks swung the blade down with all his might towards Vegetto Black first, the doppelganger throwing up his arm to block the blade with a thunderous shockwave. Both demon goddesses yelped, shooting out from the force of the impact while Vegetto Black struggled to hold Trunks back. He smirked, his dark pink and black aura surging up around his form, black lightning clashing against the white sparks from Trunks' aura.

His smirk slowly faded, however, his arm lowering closer towards him despite his efforts. His disbelief grew in his expression, gasping once Trunks' sword knicked his cheek from the next push. Vegetto Black shot to the side with a grunt, breaking the lock with the blade and recollecting himself in time to catch Trunks' right foot a few inches from his face. He yelped, shooting back towards the ground when Trunks' left foot followed up with a powerful sweep to the side of his head. 

Vegetto Black rapidly flipped and twisted for a few seconds but soon connected to the ground on both, sliding back through the ground. He came to a halt with a sudden surge of his own pink aura, a devilish smirk rising as he stood to his feet.

"Much better!"

His smirk soon diminished, however, his eyes turning to the side as Towa landed gently next to him, her staff extended out and blocking his path.

"No...we still have work to do. Go find your other self: we'll take care of Trunks."

Vegetto Black narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"I want to fight him."

Towa scoffed.

"I don't care what you want. I agreed to let you fight Vegetto...not Trunks. You should be grateful for the few seconds you had."

Her own eyes narrowed into slits.

"If you keep on with this insolence, you'll go back on your leash for good and you won't get your battle with your original target. Now...do your job. You have Vegetto's memories, find out where they keep their prisoners. Go."

Vegetto Black stood with a heavy frown, his glare following Towa after she bolted up into the sky without waiting for a response. He balled his hands quickly into fists, snarling in frustration but soon broke out into a dash of his own, heading to the west end of the city through the lines of demon soldiers still ransacking the area.

======================

Trunks narrowed eyes turned down, slowly descending to the floor. The flare of lightning and blue godly ki swirled around his body in the flight, his boots touching down lightly and his arms hanging at his sides. He turned his head, watching Putine dash up from the rubble she had crashed into, landing a few feet away in front of him.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

Trunks glared strongly in return, watching her grin at him.

"But can you do better than that?"

Trunks stood still.

"Come find out."

His eyes turned to the side, an ominous shade of dark purple energy suddenly snuffing out his aura and encasing his entire body. His facial expression remained unchanged, watching Towa hold out her arms as the source of the magic.

"Now!!"

Putine kept her grin, bolting forward and pulling her right arm back. Her confident expression soon degraded, fear taking hold before she could launch her fist forward at the sight of Trunks easily moving into a squat, the blue and white energy washing away the darkness clouding his body instantly. Putine quickly twisted to the side, narrowly missing the leg that shot through the air, and landing lightly on her feet to Trunks' side. Using the momentum to bolt back forward into a charge, the demon goddess attempted another punch, landing a direct shot to the side of Trunks' head. He hacked in pain, stumbling down, but shot back up from the ground and retaliating with a punch of his own into Putine's stomach. Putine's eyes widened in pain, keeling forward slightly and clutching her stomach.

Both panted heavily from the blows, eyeing each other with narrowed slits of hate, before rapidly launching into a tirade of furious punches and kicks. 

=========================

Vegetto's narrowed eyes watched the battle ensure, the screen depicting a wider shot of the city's current state. His eyes left Trunks and Putine's battle, narrowing at the sight of Vegetto Black bolting off to the west and barely bothering to weave through his own allies, blasting through some of the bodies.

"It's only been fifteen minutes...and they're already starting to split up. Damnit."

Kassava sat on the floor, her arms lowering back down from giving her energy and leaning back against the table frame, peering up.

"What's wrong with that?"

Vegetto kept his frown.

"It means they're not taking the bait. Trunks' power up was supposed to force their full attention and keep both Zamas and Towa busy. But this new demon...she's strong enough to fight Trunks alone. Now those two can run freely, and move on the Vault without anyone to stop them."

Genn nodded once, reaching out.

"Yeah...but look here."

Vegetto perked his eyes, watching Genn rewind the image on the scroll back a few minutes, the image depicting Towa and Vegetto Black glaring at each other. 

::If you keep on with this insolence, you'll go back on your leash for good and you won't get your battle with your original target. Now...do your job. You have Vegetto's memories, find out where they keep their prisoners. Go.::

Vegetto narrowed his eyes, watching Towa take off while Genn spoke.

"This can prove to our advantage. If Black is really only looking for a fight with you...then we can use that to turn him on the others."

Vegetto grunted.

"Stop calling him that."

Genn frowned behind the mask.

"Fine...Zamasu. But...still...you might want to try and at least pretend to respect his choice in name."

Vegetto turned his head slightly to Genn, his dual voice flat.

"What are you suggesting exactly?"

Genn nodded at to the scroll.

"Do what you do best: get in his head. Mess with their plan, and stall for time."

Vegetto stared back with narrowed eyes, soon turning his head down to Kassava, who only stared blankly up back at him. He then broke out into a small smirk, nodding once.

"Alright...I think I have an idea. You two need to hide: he'll be coming here soon if all works out how I intend it to."

Genn nodded in response, quickly kneeling down and helping Kassava up to her feet.

"Ok Kass, time to go. Get up."

Kassava cringed in the sudden movement, struggling up to her feet in pain.

"Hey hey...take it easy. Everything still hurts, ok?"

Vegetto kept his smirk, watching on in amusement as the two moved towards the secondary scroll. His smirk faded, staring back at Kassava as she turned her head, a frown across her face.

"You better not get yourself killed."

Vegetto stared back blankly, his own dual voice also coming out flat.

"I won't."

His eyes remained locked with hers, watching the two disappear into a blinding white light and leaving him alone inside the Time Vault. He took in another deep breath, shutting his eyes tightly for a second, before forcing the air out in a heavy sigh. The fused warrior reached out, pressing onto a large grey button to the left of the screen, his dual voice raising into a shout.

======================

The soldiers surrounding the large complex soon dispersed, Vegetto Black landing with a light thud on the ground in front of the main doorway. His dark grey eyes looked over the building once, studying the structure as a familiar dual voice rang out over the intercom across the entire city.

"Black!!"

Vegetto Black's eyebrows perked up, turning his head slightly.

"I've been watching everything...and I have to say...I'm disappointed in you. Letting yourself be controlled by Towa like that."

Vegetto Black kept a frown, fully facing back towards the intercom as the dual voice quickly turned sarcastic.

"And to think...I was hoping you might evolve into a gifted fighter. What a waste."

The doppelganger stood still, staring up with a glare while Vegetto's voice lifted in pitch once again.

"I'll make you a wager though: how about you show a little spine and take control of your destiny once again? There's a reason why you're old self is sitting in a jail cell, and why you've taken a step back in being a dog for Towa's whim. That same reason is why you still haven't figured out how to master that body as well as I have. Power, that you could learn to control fighting me."

Vegetto Black's eyebrows perked up, his arms tensing as Vegetto continued.

"I'm right here...waiting for you in the Time Vault. Come and face me, unless you prefer being Towa's little lackey."

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 33: Broken Chains

======================

Spoiler

Vegetto Black's narrowed eyes remained locked on the large portal entrance perched above on the plateau overlooking the city, his back turned to the prison building. The line of soldiers warily stepped back, tensing in anticipation of his next moves while Towa descended down to the ground, landing a few feet in front of him.

"Don't be a fool. He's luring you into a trap."

Vegetto Black's eyes followed Towa.

"I don't care."

Towa frowned.

"You would be better off fetching your other self instead of making yourself vulnerable."

Vegetto Black chuckled darkly, shaking his head.

"Why? He's a weakling: all he'll do is get in my way when the fight begins."

His expression rapidly shifted, his dark amused stare slowly devolving back into a serious glare.

"In fact...it's almost as if you want him to get in my way. You've been pushing so hard for his freedom...an objective that poses no real reward for you."

Towa scoffed.

"You already know our plan is to put you both as the rulers of time. If one of you is imprisoned, then we can't do that. Reality will fall apart."

Vegetto Black took a step forward, shaking his head.

"No...you know you don't want that. I heard your little meeting with the demons, remember? I know all about your little plan to seize glory for yourself...how you will turn on me."

He stopped, Towa's narrowed stare unfazed in his accusation.

"You could've killed me back there...but you didn't. Why?"

Towa grunted, scrunching her nose slightly and keeping a threatening tone of her own.

"Puppets...like you...are useful to me."

Vegetto Black's smirk rose.

"Then I quit! I'm not going to fight for your worthless army of failures any longer."

Towa's eyes widened slightly, watching the dark pink aura rapidly fade from the doppelganger's body. The two black bangs of hair dropped down in front of his face, Vegetto Black reverting to his normal form and holding out his arms in opposite directions.

"A tool that no longer serves its purpose must be discarded. Show your men what happens to those that disobey you."

His tone turned dark, mocking her with a sinister grin.

"Oh mighty demon goddess!"

Towa stood silently for a moment, her icy glare meeting Vegetto Black's confident eyes. Both stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, and soon, Vegetto Black dropped his arms back down to his sides, his dual voice lifting.

"That's what I thought. Your real goal here was never to place us as the rulers of time...no. You only wanted to use the opportunity to overpower the Patrol...and fool us into thinking you had no way to challenge our existence."

He raised his right hand, his pointer finger and thumb lightly flicking the dangling green Potara from his ear.

"You were planning to use these against us, weren't you? An immortal god, while weak, could ruin your plans because you could never truly destroy him. You need his other half to corrupt the immortality... that's why you still need me alive."

Towa clutched onto her scepter, Vegetto Black's aura rapidly flaring back up. Turning back into a Super Saiyan Rose, Vegetto Black raised his fists up, his dual voice growing dark.

"This is the deal I'll promise you, witch: I am going to fight Vegetto. If you or your little army tries to stand in my way, I will make sure Zamasu has no one to fuse with. You will never be free of him...and he will ruin not just your plans, but the old man's as well. You can defy the gods all you want, but you will never have control."

Towa stood silently in response, her eyes only following Vegetto Black as the doppelganger shot up into the sky, bolting towards the portal in a dark pink streak of energy. Her narrowed eyes watched him disappear inside, and the demon goddess shook her head in annoyance once he was gone.

Stupid fool...if I wanted to force that fusion, I'd just overpower the weaker one.

Her eyes turned to the prison building, moving towards it in a casual stride with a frown.

Fine...the idiot can have his fun. We'll just need figure out a new candidate if he gets himself killed.

============================

Severed body parts of demon anatomy flew out in ever direction, Trunks' blue aura carving through the waves that dared to challenge his energy. He twirled his sword into rapid circles on his side, occasionally swinging the blade over to his left and switching back to his right, blue blades of pure energy firing off the sword itself and slashing into the hordes of fighters. His eyes followed their goddess specifically, never losing track of Putine as she continued to flee through the ranks.

Grunting in annoyance, Trunks crouched down, the blue and white aura flaring up around his body before rapidly pummeling through the soldiers while using his dropped shoulder like a battering ram. He gripped his sword in his right, his left arm shooting out and catching Putine by her ankle in hand. He whirled around, slinging her down onto the pavement with a hard slam and slashing at her on the floor. The blade stabbed into only cement, however, Trunks' eyes turning up to see Putine shooting down towards him with her right fist extended. He bolted to the right as he yanked his blade from the ground, a massive chunk of cement encasing the tip of his sword. He planted his feet firmly after narrowly dodging Putine's strike, gripping onto hilt of his sword with both hands and swinging the blade like a baseball bat at Putine, who had already bolted back up from missing her initial hit. Her eyes went wide, the massive rock smashing against her face and shattering into pebbles, followed shortly by the blunt silver into her cheek, sending her flying and skipping across the hard ground.

Trunks' glare followed the small building she soon barreled through, scanning the smoke billowing up from the crushed rubble and spinning his sword up, sheathing the blade on his back. His head turned slightly, staring down another group of demon soldiers that watched on from a few feet away. Panicking, the army broke out into sprints in the opposite directions, the fearful screams ringing out in the city as Trunks turned his back to them, slowly walking towards the rubble. He soon came to a halt within a moment, the smoke dispersing rapidly and Putine suddenly appearing from thin air, landing on the ground with her own arms at her side. Small scratches littered her face and she wiped her cheek down with the back of her right hand, cleaning herself off with a smirk.

"You are quite the fighter. Such power...and with skill to match."

Her smirk rose.

"But I know your secret now."

Trunks perked his right eyebrow, watching Putine cross her arms.

"All those swift movements...they all had one thing in common: they all required you to use that sword. You're not a hand to hand combatant...you're a swordsman. And the best part is your energy...the signature is different. Some I can feel exploding off of you in the strikes...but there's a different signature to it."

Her smirk remained.

"You've managed to modify a weapon with extra ki inside, greater than your own power, haven't you? All I have to do is control your little toy, and you will fall with it."

Putine giggled darkly, covering her mouth. However, she immediately cut off her giggling at the sight of Trunks breaking out into a smirk as well, reaching for the hilt over his shoulder.

"So, you think it's my sword?"

Putine narrowed her eyes, staring at the blade slowly unsheathing from its scabbard, the metal sliding against the wood carvings being the only sound in the empty city square. Trunks flicked his wrist, spinning the blade to point down at the floor and clutching onto the handle with one hand. Putine's eyes widened slightly, watching a small white aura flaring up around the entire sword in Trunks' hand. With a small chuckle, he tossed the sword into the air at Putine.

"Here, catch."

Putine yelped, stumbling back slightly and catching the handle with both hands. She held the blade out in front of her with both hands, examining the sword and her expression slowly softening with confidence.

"Yes...the energy...I can feel it surging off the sword. It's not much now...but I can feel the dormant stores inside..."

Her eyes lifted up from the sword to Trunks, a sinister smirk returning.

"And I have a hunch that without it, you wouldn't have been able to keep up with my power. What do you say?"

Trunks' smirk rose.

"Believe what you want to."

Putine swung the blade back, clutching onto the hilt tightly and launching forward into a dash, her body coated in pitch black energy. She roared, swinging the blade down with both arms at Trunks' head. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the blade stopping cleanly in between Trunks' pointer and middle fingers, his blue aura surging strongly around him. His eyes instantly widened, his thunderous roar sending out a shockwave of its own as he brought his other hand from around his side.

"Ha!!"

Putine gasped at the sight of a small blue energy sphere at the end of his hand, locked in place as Trunks came within inches of pushing the sphere into her. He suddenly rocketed out the side with a loud yelp, slamming through a nearby wall and disappearing inside.

Towa grunted in frustration, landing where Trunks had stood moments ago and slapping the sword out of Putine's hands, her eyebrow twitching heavily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Putine blinked in confusion, her arms falling to her side.

"What?"

Towa scoffed.

"You really thought he was storing energy in that sword?! He was about to kill you for making that mistake you moron! If I hadn't jumped in like that, there'd be a hole in your chest right now!"

Both demon goddesses turned their heads, the sudden explosion of rock and wind flaring out in every direction and ruffling their robes. Tensing, Putine and Towa both moved into defensive stances, watching Trunks come to a halt a few feet away. He raised his right arm slightly, an outstretched palm facing towards the discarded sword laying off to Towa's side, the blade rising into the air and shooting towards Trunks. Landing neatly into his palm, Trunks twirled the blade back out in front of him, clutching the hilt in both hands with the tip of the blade pointed in between Towa and Putine.

====================================

Vegetto huffed, landing hard on his backside and sitting at the edge of the table in the center of the Vault. He clutched onto his side, glancing down at the floor.

"Alright...this better work."

His head turned back up, a frown strong on his face to the left.

"How is she holding up, Elder?"

The Elder Kai, sitting off into the corner with the Supreme Kai of Time, only frowned up at Vegetto in response.

"It's still not good."

Vegetto turned his eyes to the Supreme Kai of Time, his frown deepening at the sight. She held an empty stare, her eyes only half open as she sat mostly limp in the Elder Kai's arms.

"That stunt you pulled...a god being killed has a tremendous effect on the time stream. Beerus destroyed Zamasu with a refined technique, so only one timeline was born from the resulting destruction. But you...you just used an overwhelming amount of power...and destroyed an actual god in the process. Millions of alternate realities could've formed from that alone...and now she has to work on closing them all."

Vegetto turned his head back towards the entrance, leaning heavily against the table posting.

"I know...I know. I should've never sent Whis away...we might have another way to get senzus now that I didn't think of."

The Elder Kai blinked.

"How?"

Vegetto opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes soon narrowed at the shadowy figure standing in the hallway at the top of the staircase. He kept his attention forward, forcing himself to sit more upright while Vegetto Black slowly descended down the steps. His narrowed eyes locked with Vegetto's, the displeasure clear across his face as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his hands balling into fists.

"What is this?"

Vegetto's lips rose into a smirk.

"A trap."

Vegetto Black scoffed.

"A waste of time sounds more like it."

His narrowed eyes scanned the room, whirling around and glancing in every direction.

"Come on out, woman. Unless you want me to gut your master right in front of you."

Vegetto chuckled.

"It's just you and me, Zamas."

Vegetto Black kept a strong glare, staring down.

"You promised me a fight."

Vegetto kept his smirk.

"I lied."

Vegetto Black snarled, suddenly lunging down and tightly clamping his right hand around Vegetto's throat. The fusion's confident expression never faltered under the grip, his smirk still strong as his mostly limp body was hoisted into the air off the ground. Vegetto Black glared strongly up into Vegetto's eyes, his own smirk rising.

"Then you're of no use to me."

Vegetto struggled to chuckle in the grasp, his eyes glaring down at the doppelganger.

"Maybe...not. But no matter how strong you get, and no matter who you face out there in the universe, you're going to remember this kill over everyone else. Not because of the accomplishment...but because I'll be the one man you've never truly beaten."

Vegetto Black scoffed.

"And what makes you say that?"

Vegetto's smirk rose.

"Because the last time we fought...Towa saved you from certain death. She interfered in the first battle, and she saved you in the second. She's stolen our senzus, and that's why I'm too weak to fight you now."

He chuckled again.

"So go ahead, take your easy victory. You'll have the satisfaction your ego craves...but everytime you look back on this...accomplishment, you'll remember who it was that really won those fights. The one who didn't need someone saving him at every chance."

Vegetto Black's smirk turned down into a frown, watching Vegetto perk his eyebrows.

"Funny...you even look small from up here."

Vegetto Black's eyes widened with rage, gritting his teeth together. His arm began to tremble, the intensity of his grip flaring only for a moment before he abruptly hurled Vegetto to the right. Vegetto's smirk instantly vanished, the pain clear his expression as he cried out from the impact, bouncing off the wall and collapsing onto the floor on all fours. He panted lightly, turning his head up to see Vegetto Black looming over him with narrowed eyes.

"You're right...an easy victory would serve neither of us well. Our battle will not be ruined by worthless sorcerers or improper planning. So then...tell me...what is your real plan?"

Vegetto's smirk returned, nodding to the entrance.

"You already know. Your friend stole some magical beans from us, beans that fully heal a fighter after eating just one."

Vegetto Black's stare remained unchanged.

"I'm aware."

Vegetto struggled up to his feet, clutching his side.

"Then you know what I need to fight you at my full power. Get those beans back...and I'll give you a memory you can take to the grave."

Vegetto Black's glare remained strong, studying Vegetto for a moment. His eyes then turned to the side, locking onto the two Kais huddled together in the corner. Vegetto's confident expression dropped immediately, his body tensing for a second at the sight. Vegetto Black then turned back to Vegetto, his smirk strong and his dual voice dark.

"You are desperate, aren't you?"

Vegetto remained tense, watching Vegetto Black shake his head.

"You've put a lot of power into the boy...will he be strong enough to kill Towa?"

Vegetto's eyebrow raised in confusion at the sudden change in topic, his dual voice wary.

"Why?"

Vegetto Black's frown returned.

"Because you and I are both too weak to overcome her magic now. He, however, is handling them both with your shared power. But I can sense his energy from here: it's draining fast."

Vegetto frowned as well, his eyes narrowing once again.

"What are you suggesting?"

Vegetto Black smirked, nodding to the entrance.

"It's as you said: she has interfered too many times in our battles, and given the chance, she would surely do it again. Until she is dead...we will never realize our destiny."

Vegetto glanced down, staring down at Vegetto Black's now outstretched right hand, open in front of him.

"Help me destroy her, and I will get you those beans."

Vegetto smirked, taking the outstretched hand with his own and shaking it curtly.

"Deal."

 

[Vegetto]

Chapter 34: Beyond the Blue

=============================

Spoiler

Bullets of dark red and black energy fired down from the cloudy sky, Trunks swirling his sword to deflect as many as he could away from the ground. His narrowed eyes focused in on the source, Putine dashing to the left during the barrage to hit from more angles. Trunks grimaced heavily, his blue aura now completely absent of the white energy that had flowed steadily moments ago, and slashed upwards in a final roar. A monsterous blade of blue energy barreled up in the direction of the raining blasts, rapidly engulfing every little bolt and soon disappearing into the sky after cutting through the clouds above.

Trunks panted heavily, watching the clouds slowly reform and block out the lone ray of light that shined down on the city for the brief moment his attack shot through the sky. He dropped his arms to his side, still poised and holding his sword in one hand, struggling with all his might to prevent the two demon goddesses from seeing his weakened state. However, his legs trembled heavily, dropping down to one knee against his will while Putine and Towa landed a few feet away from him.

"Finished already? What a shame."

Trunks only glared up at Putine in silence, watching her casually stride forward.

"It is the nature of your kind though. The fire burns strong for a short time, but with a little consistency and suppression...the flames are snuffed out. Leaving only a smoldering memory, soon cooling into nothing but decay."

Her eyes widened slightly, turning to the sudden pulsing shockwave originating from the cliff overlooking the city. Towa turned her head up as well, watching Vegetto suddenly crash to the hard ground next to Trunks with smoke trailing off his chest and legs. Trunks gasped, shifting slightly up to Vegetto's side.

"Vegetto!"

Vegetto kept his eyes tightly shut in pain, clutching his side and cringing heavily. His body was covered in light scratches, his gi slightly torn but mostly intact. He lay mostly flat on his chest, but had his back slightly turned to the three villains and his face towards Trunks.

"Damn...it burns..."

Trunks still panted lightly, his frown strong.

"What the hell were you thinking? Challenging Black in your current state?"

Vegetto lifted his head slightly, his eyes opening a bit and his dual voice lowering into a near whisper.

"Just play along."

Trunks blinked, staring up and watching Vegetto Black hop down to the floor lightly next to Towa with a dark smirk.

"So much for your theory, sorcerer."

Towa narrowed her eyes, locking onto Vegetto across the way instead of meeting Vegetto Black's eyes.

"Perhaps I was wrong. I didn't think you would handle him so quickly."

Vegetto Black placed his hands on his hips.

"It wouldn't be the first time you failed to comprehend your betters. Now..."

He narrowed his eyes, extending out his right hand.

"Give me the senzu beans."

Towa frowned.

"Why?"

Vegetto Black remained stone faced.

"I used up a lot of power in the fight. I want to recover."

Towa's concerned stare remained locked on Vegetto, raising a hand at Vegetto Black.

"Hold on."

She turned to Putine, watching the other demon goddess stand confidently with her hands on her hips, towering over the two Saiyans crumpled close together. Her frown grew stronger, turning her attention back to the two Saiyans.

"Something isn't right here."

===============================

Putine grinned slightly, now standing only a foot in front of Trunks and Vegetto.

"It's over...mortals."

Her right arm extended out, a large blade of black energy forming at the end of her arm. Trunks grimaced at the sight, still clutching his side and staring down at Vegetto. Putine cocked her elbow in, the blade pointing towards the still form of the fusion, barely recognizing that Vegetto had lifted his head slightly and tensed his right arm.

Towa's sharp eyes picked up on Vegetto's change in movement, however, tensing as well instinctively.

He's planning something...but what can he do? He's beaten and weary...he challenged Black and lost. Although...their fight ended much quicker than I thought...much too soon to fight all out.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Unless...

Towa quickly raised her hands, cupping them around her mouth.

"Putine!! He's hiding his power!!"

========================

Putine blinked in confusion, a small gasp escaping her lips at the sudden shockwave of air at her feet. She turned her head around in time to catch Vegetto flying up to his feet, a massive surge of golden energy at the end of his right, gloved hand.

"HA!!"

The demon goddess instinctively feinted to the side, the massive Spirit Sword shooting past where she stood milliseconds ago and fully extending out another couple of inches. Vegetto grunted in frustration, holding his place as Trunks' blue aura flared up next, blasting forward and attempting to follow up with a slash of his own. Putine brought her blade to the side, clashing with the sword and struggling to keep Trunks at bay, small pockets of blue lightning spiraling out and stinging at her body.

=========================

Towa snarled, beginning to spin back around towards Vegetto Black.

"You stupid fool! You didn't think you beat him so easily, did yo-"

Her eyes widened to the brim, a cold chill running up her spine to offset the burning energy slicing into her stomach. Her wide eyes turned down, staring in disbelief at the dark pink sword of pure energy now lodged into her abdomen, the blade protruding out the left side of her back. Vegetto Black chuckled darkly in amusement, reaching down to her right side.

"It's a shame you sought to defy our rule. You could've been so much more if only you had remembered your place."

Vegetto Black pulled his free hand back, now clutching the brown bag of beans tightly in his grip. He grunted, rapidly pulling his hand sword back and deftly kicking Towa to the side. He then spun back around, flicking his wrist and tossing the brown bag towards Vegetto.

"Here!"

Vegetto reached up, catching the small bag and quickly pulling out a small green bean. Still chewing on his own, he pulled out another and tossed it out to Trunks. The half Saiyan pulled his hand up, still holding his blade in place with his other and putting the senzu into his mouth. After fully swallowing it, Trunks' eyes widened with a thunderous roar, his aura flaring up and forcing Putine back rapidly. His right knee shot up, punting Putine high into the sky. He roared at the top of his lungs, a massive blue sphere of energy forming at the ends of his hands and blasting forward towards Putine. The demon goddess screeched, the blast striking her head on and pushing her further up past the clouds, soon disappearing from sight.

===============

Vegetto smirked, raising both of his arms and clenching his hands into fists. With a small roar, he instantly powered up to his Super Saiyan Blue form. He moved up to Trunks side, the smirk growing slightly.

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but we have one demon down and it's now three against one. C'mon, let's finish this"

His narrowed, blue eyes diverted at the surge of dark energy to his side, however. Vegetto frowned, facing back towards Vegetto Black, who had also powered up.

"At long last."

Vegetto kept his eyes trained on Vegetto Black, his sight never leaving the doppelganger as he tucked the brown bag into his sash.

"What are you doing?"

Vegetto Black chuckled darkly, his own eyes locking with Vegetto's.

"You know exactly what I'm doing. Just as you said: let's finish this."

Vegetto's narrowed glare remained strong. He turned his head slightly towards Trunks, meeting his stare for a moment who held a stone face through it all, before turning back to Vegetto Black. 

"This isn't the time, Zamas. As long as that demon lives, we won't have a fair fight."

Vegetto Black scoffed.

"Don't be absurd. Your bastard son can handle her just fine for now; we can fight uninterrupted."

Vegetto grunted.

"And what if he fails? She'll come for both of us, and we'll be too weak to fend her off. You've already turned against her, she'll kill you just the same as she'll kill us."

Vegetto Black kept a confident, dark smirk.

"Such cowardice. Where is your Saiyan pride, mortal? We are warriors: we hunger for battle and conquest. This is our chance to make our mark upon history itself: your whole Patrol will remember this day."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that what you want them to remember? A coward that ran from a true fight, in fear that his own son would fail against some worthless demon?!"

Vegetto scoffed.

"I'm not afraid of fighting you. But I've sensed this demon's power for myself: she is well beyond anything we've seen before. You even said it yourself: she'd murder us both, given the chance. Don't be an arrogant fool: we'll fight after she is dead."

Vegetto Black frowned in response, his dual voice falling flat.

"Then perhaps, you need a little motivation."

His eyes diverted to Trunks, his smirk growing.

"You will fight with me now, Vegetto, or the tables will turn back against you. If you won't give me the fight I crave, then I'll make sure this demon has little trouble putting us all down together."

Vegetto grunted, his eyes widening heavily.

"What's the matter with you?! You're the one that wanted the demons gone, can't you just wait five minutes and-"


"It's alright."

Vegetto turned his head, Trunks' hand now resting on his shoulder.

"I can't beat that demon, I know I won't. We'll just have to use a new strategy to save the city...one that can still work with what Black wants."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow, seeing Trunks smirk.

"You have that bag of senzus, father. I will stall the demon as long as it takes, while you finish your fight with Black. Just use them as many times as you need, and Black won't stand a chance. You'll get strong enough to even take on that demon, and we'll end this once and for all."

Vegetto Black chuckled.

"Hiding behind the beans, huh? That's fine, utilize whatever handicap you need to fight me. At least the Patrol will know you need help to compare to me as a warrior."

Vegetto suddenly broke out into a smirk, reaching back into his sash.

"You must not know me very well."

Vegetto Black's smirk vanished, cocking an eyebrow and watching on as Vegetto pulled out the brown sack. He tossed the small bag to Trunks, who caught it with wide eyes while Vegetto spoke.

"You're the one that needs to last in this fight, Trunks. Take the senzus...use as many as you need to keep fighting...and I'll join you when I finish up here."

Trunks nodded, tucking the bag away into his black leather trenchcoat and turning his head back to the sky.

"Alright then...I guess I should get going."

Vegetto kept his smirk, his eyes turning to Trunks.

"Good luck, Trunks. I don't have to tell you that a lot is riding on this...so do your best, ok?"

Trunks nodded once more, his frown returning.

"Thanks...I'll do what I can."

Trunks blinked, staring at the gloved hand that suddenly grasped onto his shoulder, meeting Vegetto's eyes.

"Don't worry, son. Just remember what I taught you: let the memories and hopes of the Patrol give you the strength to fight. But never forget that only you can use the strength they give you."

Trunks glanced down, inhaling deeply and letting his aura rapidly flare back up. He glanced back up to Vegetto, half smiling.

"It's...nice to see you care about us...father. I know you really want to stop this invasion, and this distraction isn't exactly what you wanted...but try not to have too much fun fighting Zamas, alright? We still need you to protect the city."

Vegetto only nodded curtly back in response, his smirk having softened into a warm smile as he watched Trunks blast off into the air. His eyes followed Trunks until he disappeared, his warm and happy expression soon intensifying into a glare and a frown once he faced back towards Vegetto Black.

"I'm ready now."

Vegetto Black broke out into a dark grin.

"That's good to hear. So...Vegetto...the table has been set."

He bent forward slightly, his aura flaring and clenching his hands tightly into fists.

"Now let us begin!!"

Vegetto raised his own fists slightly.

"The more time you and I spend fighting, the more time that demon has to kill Trunks."

His glare sharpened.

"So...if it's alright with you, let's just skip the warm up."

Vegetto Black stifled a chuckle.

"By all means...I just hope you're not planning to beg when you're weak and weary at my feet this time."

Vegetto scrunched his nose, roaring fiercely as he threw his arms down. The two bangs hanging in front of his face rapidly shot back up, blue lightning spiraling around his body as he rapidly powered up to a Super Saiyan Blue 2. Vegetto Black's dark smirk grew larger, raising his own fists.

"Well well...at least you're stronger than the last time you used that form."

Letting out a thunderous roar of his own, Vegetto Black's transformation mimicked Vegetto's, his own two pink bangs rising up into the rest of his spiky hair and black lightning spiraling around his body. Vegetto's eyes widened slightly, watching on as the dust from both power ups began to settle at their feet.

"Tsk...looks like this might take longer than I thought."

Vegetto Black chuckled hysterically, leaning forward and preparing to dash.

"You see?! This is our fate...our battle!!"

The doppelganger rapidly shot forward, his arms both cocked back. Vegetto's glare intensified, his arms quickly flying up and parrying the incoming barrage of punches from Vegetto Black, floating backwards across the floor. Rocks and rubble kicked up in every direction as the two launched into a fierce tirade, soon pushing into the remaining ranks of demon soldiers gathered a few miles away. The army barely recognized the surge of energy, but each soldier turned to face towards the two as they traded blows, lunging forward and attempting strikes of their own. Vegetto's right forearm blocked an incoming fist from Vegetto Black, his left hand catching another fist and gripping onto it tightly. With a thunderous roar, Vegetto swung the demon soldier by his fist and aimed for Vegetto Black's side. Vegetto Black formed a small pink blade at the end of his hand, splitting the soldier in half before the body could reach him and shooting out his right foot into Vegetto's chest, the fusion stumbling back with a yelp.

The soldiers all stopped in place at the sudden death of one of their own at Vegetto Black's own attack. Vegetto Black smirked, suddenly whirling around in a quick spin and dispersing a large circular blade of pink energy that shot out in every direction. Vegetto gasped, ducking in time as the blade cut a few strands of his blue hair. Standing back upright, he glanced around to see the ground littered in the mutilated bodies of the demon soldiers, his eyes turning back up to Vegetto Black, who only grinned darkly back at the fused warrior.

"No one is going to save you in this fight, mortal."

Vegetto Black shot forward once again, lunging out with another fist. However, Vegetto feinted to the side just before the blow landed, having spaced his legs in the time to prepare for the strike and brought up his right knee towards Vegetto Black's chest as he sailed past. Vegetto Black cringed, tensing and pulling his hands in to block the knee, only to catch a following gloved fist slamming into the side of his head. Vegetto Black crashed into the ground, bouncing along the pavement for a moment before quickly recollecting himself and throwing up his arms, blocking an incoming punch to his chest from Vegetto's left fist. He dropped his arms, watching Vegetto suddenly flip up above his head and spin rapidly in multiple twirls. His eyes followed the spins and turns, a small hint of confusion growing on his expression as Vegetto still hung above his head for a few seconds flipping. Vegetto Black then yelped, crashing forward onto the floor from the force of a boot planting firmly into his upper back. He pushed himself out of the small crater left from the impact, whirling around and calming slightly at the sight of Vegetto standing where the doppelganger was moments ago.

Vegetto turned his head up, watching the continue image of himself flipping above his head and waving his right hand. Vegetto Black's eyes widened at the sight of the moving image disappearing, Vegetto chuckling slightly.

"You like that? One of the techniques I've been practicing, I call it the moving afterimage. Instead of moving just fast enough to leave an imprint on your eyes...you move fast enough for even light itself to catch up. Do a few movements and actions at that speed, and light will display it in perfect sequence long after you've already done the movements."

Vegetto Black's eyes narrowed at the explanation, Vegetto's smirk rising.

"Not really effective against seasoned fighters...but against an amateur that uses his eyes instead of feeling where I am...it's perfect."

Vegetto Black only snarled in response, launching forward into another dash and closing the gap to Vegetto. His fist shot only through another after image, his eyes widening and his head glancing around in every direction. He then quickly recomposed himself, realizing his own mistake and stopped in place, his eyes turning down. His head tilted slightly to the left, launching his leg out and connecting with Vegetto's fist, countering the incoming strike. His right arm shot out in the opposite direction next, Vegetto now appearing on the opposite side with a knee towards the doppelganger. Vegetto Black lunged up, his own fist swiping at the blue and orange gi, Vegetto having shot up higher into the air with a chuckle.

"Not bad...you're learning."

Vegetto roared, bolting back down and launching into a barrage of punches and kicks of his own, Vegetto Black struggling to keep pace. The doppelganger attempt to follow the movements, taking in a punch to his cheek and stumbling slightly. He blocked the next kick aimed at his arm, but yelped at the following punch to his chest. Vegetto Black's eyes widened in rage, another blow to his side unnerving him further and soon erupting into a thunderous roar of his own. Vegetto blinked in surprise, caught offguard as Vegetto Black threw a flurry of punches, all landing in Vegetto's stomach. Vegetto cried out in pain, clutching his side while Vegetto Black launched his boot up, punting Vegetto's chin to send him flying high into the air. Appearing above in Vegetto's flight path, the doppelganger brought down both of his fists in a spike to send Vegetto flying back down towards the ground to the right. He teleported to the ground a final time, throwing out his left leg and kicking Vegetto back across the ground in the opposite direction. Vegetto winced heavily mid flight, but quickly recovered once he picked up on Vegetto Black attempting to continue the assault and shot forward with his right arm. His gloved fist connected with Vegetto Black's face, the doppelganger's shocked expression crunching around the fist pressing into his cheek.

Vegetto Black roared once more in rage, attempting to follow up with another kick of his own but only hitting the air to Vegetto's side. Vegetto launched forward with another punch, spiking Vegetto Black to the ground. The doppelganger soon rose to his feet, recovering quickly and clutching onto his side with one arm. His narrowed eyes watched on as Vegetto landed a few feet away, a frown growing.

"I can feel the power difference...I know I'm stronger."

Vegetto Black grimaced, his glare intensifying.

"So why...why am I so damaged...and you haven't even broken a sweat?!"

Vegetto kept his arms at his side.

"Because that's all you want to see, Zamas. It's what drove you to steal my body...it's what drove you to turn on your own allies...and it's why you can't keep pace with me in this fight: the only thing you focus on is power. You keep using all your strength to do as much damage as you can with your blows, and leave yourself wide open for counters. All I need to do is take the hits as easily as I can, put a little weight in my counters, you'll end up like this while I can still feel fresh from not using any real effort to fight you."

Vegetto kept a small smirk, putting his gloved hands on his hips.

"But if it's any consolation...you aren't completely wrong. You are stronger than I am...in this form."

Vegetto Black cocked an eyebrow.

"This...form?"

Vegetto nodded, his smirk rising.

"You don't even know about the third transformation...do you?"

Vegetto Black's eyes widened for a moment, but soon narrowed back into slits.

"You're bluffing."

Vegetto lifted his arms up as his only response, crouching down slightly and letting out a thunderous roar. The entire city began to shake violently, Vegetto Black's eyes widening once more as Vegetto's blue hair began to slowly grow past his upper back, blue electricity sparking out in every direction.

===============================

On the further side of the city, Towa grunted in agony, sitting inside of the rubble and clutching the wound. The energy had seared her flesh and the sorcerer struggled to use her own magic to bind the wound, a dark purple glow forming around the edges of her wound. Her half open eyes turned up, noticing the prison complex only a few hundred meters from where she lay, and began to slowly crawl out of her crater towards it.

Have to...reach...the cell.

===============================

Emerging out of a blinding bright light back into the Time Vault, Genn and Kassava both moved up to the table.

"Ok good, they did it."

Kassava grimaced, starting to limp towards the exit.

"I'm going...Trunks needs help."


Genn frowned slightly underneath his mask, but nodded.

"Go ahead, he's got the senzus. Just be careful, ok? That demon is way out of your league...you'd be better off just taking care of the demon army still plundering the city."

Kassava grunted.

"I'm not a weakling Genn, I'll be fine."

Genn sighed, staring down at the table and turning the Scroll back on with the image of the city fully displayed again. His eyes widened at the sight of Towa crawling towards the prison building, quickly pressing into his earpiece.

"Guys...Towa's still alive and she's heading for Zamasu. Someone please break off and stop her!"

==========================================

The voice ringing out in Vegetto's ear was deafened underneath his fierce roar, a blindly light encasing his body and the ground him exploding upwards. Soon straightening himself out, Vegetto straightened out his back and stood fully upright with his arms at his side, his narrowed eyebrow-less blue eyes staring down Vegetto Black. The doppelganger stood with his mouth open, still clutching his side as Vegetto smirked back at him, his dual voice gruff.

"Still think I'm bluffing?"

Vegetto Black's shock slowly left his face, a frown returning and a somber stare setting in.

"You were holding back this entire time...letting me believe I had a chance to...beat you."

Vegetto nodded curtly.

"Yes."

Vegetto Black's eyes turned down, his frown deepening.

"I didn't even have the power advantage."

Vegetto's eyes perked up, watching on as the dark pink aura suddenly dissipated and Vegetto Black reverted back into his normal state. Vegetto's glare remained strong, however, unable to see Vegetto Black's expression that was hidden due to his bowed head. The other dual voice came out low and meager for the first time.

"Make it quick." 

Vegetto only raised his right arm in response, a small blue ball of energy whirring to life at the end of his palm. His narrowed eyes watched Vegetto Black's bowed head, analyzing him as the energy built up. After a few seconds, the fused warrior finally spoke again.

"You're not going to fight?"

Vegetto Black kept his head bowed.

"This fight was all I cared about. You've bested me in skill and now that I know my power couldn't even come close to matching yours...I realize that my dream is futile. I cannot match you here today...and there's no point stalling the inevitable."

Vegetto remained silent in response, his arm still raised. He stared down the doppelganger for a few moments, but instead of firing the blast, he spoke up once more.

"If you got away, somehow...would you train to match me in power?"

Vegetto Black's head turned up slowly, his narrowed eyes locking with Vegetto's.

"What difference does it make?"

Vegetto slowly dropped his arm, his glare still strong.

"You're prepared to face your death with some honor. After listening to your delusions and watching your cowardice for so long, Zamas...this is a change I didn't expect out of you. So I ask again: if you escaped, would you train to beat me?"

Vegetto Black's stern stare sharpened slightly.

"I suppose I would."

Vegetto kept a flat, gruff tone.

"Would you hurt anymore innocent people in the process?"

Vegetto Black scoffed.

"Their lives mean nothing to me, and give me nothing. So take that as you will."

Vegetto grunted in response.

"Fine, then I'll make the decision clear for you. I'll make you another deal."

He raised his right hand, extending his pointer and middle fingers up.

"I will let you grow stronger, on two conditions: you help us end this threat against the demons today. Once the last demon is dead, you can leave."

Vegetto Black kept a strong glare, his right eyebrow raising once more.

"And the second?"

Vegetto's glare intensified.

"Promise to never hurt anyone again."

Vegetto Black's narrowed eyes lightened slightly, Vegetto's own glare remaining strong.

"If you mean what you say, then it shouldn't be hard for you to avoid killing innocent lives for no reason. Live your life in peace and focus only on fighting me, and I'll let you go. Then, when you've learned how to properly fight and have the power to match me, we can finish what we've started."

Vegetto Black's eyes turned down, the right arm of Vegetto coated in blue energy slowly raising out towards him.

"Deal?"

Vegetto Black turned his head up, reaching out and grasping onto the gloved hand.

"Deal."