On the Lookout
Son Gohan, in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Popo, suddenly froze. His eyes widened, his lips quivered, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
A cool wind brushed across his face, snapping him into a stunned silence.
Bulma, who stood nearby, imdiately noticed sothing was off.
"Gohan… what's wrong?" She asked, her voice filled with concern. Trunks, too, caught the drastic change in Gohan's expression.
(What is it…?)
Gohan shook his head slowly, as if denying what he sensed. "No… it can't be. This energy… is it Frieza? But didn't Dad already take care of him?" He muttered under his breath, then suddenly straightened up, eyes blazing with alarm.
"No, that's not it! This isn't Frieza's energy. It's even stronger than his!" At that mont, Mr. Popo also sensed it, an ominous presence descending upon Earth.
"Earth truly never gets a mont's peace," He murmured solemnly.
Hearing Gohan's words, Trunks began to piece it together.
Cooler. The tyrant from another tiline. He wasn't supposed to be here, not in this tiline.
(What's going on…?)
Trunks could only chalk it up to the ripple effect of his ti travel, another unintended consequence. More and more, his suspicion grew. Vegeta had survived the androids. Now, Cooler had shown up on Earth.
But Trunks clearly rembered, Cooler's appearance had originally been shortly after Frieza's defeat, well before the android crisis.
So why now?
This deviation made no sense… and yet, here they were.
Still, Cooler, while powerful, was only about one form stronger than Frieza's third transformation.
As long as Vegeta stepped out of the Hyperbolic Ti Chamber soon, they'd have a fighting chance. But just as tension hung heavy in the air, a familiar voice, one long absent, sounded within their minds.
[Everyone, long ti no see.]
"Who?!" Gohan's head snapped around, eyes alert. The voice ca again, seasoned and wise.
[It's , North Kaiō.]
Trunks felt a chill crawl down his spine.
(Just as I thought… Only soone as dangerous as Cooler, soone who threatens the entire galaxy, could catch Kaiō Sama's attention.)
And right on cue, Kaiō continued.
[Everyone, listen carefully. Cooler, Frieza's older brother, has landed on Earth. Like Frieza and King Cold, he's a galactic tyrant.]
[But his strength surpasses both of them. You must be extrely cautious.]
Trunks' brows furrowed in thought.
(Cooler's showing up on Earth… he must have a bigger agenda. Otherwise, there's no way Kaiō Sama would've made contact with Gohan. That never happened in my future…)
This confird it, Cooler's threat extended far beyond a simple vendetta. Only when a nace lood over the entire North Galaxy would Kaiō Sama directly intervene.
Gohan scratched the back of his head, thinking back.
He asked, "Kaiō Sama, are you the one who taught my dad the Kaiō-ken?"
Kaiō answered with grave sincerity.
[Yes, that's .]
Gohan lit up, hope flickering in his voice.
"Kaiō Sama! Are Piccolo and my dad with you? What about Krillin and the others?"
Just then, a voice Gohan knew better than any other echoed gently in his mind.
[Gohan… it's . Piccolo.]
Tears welled in Gohan's eyes. Just hearing Piccolo's voice again stirred emotions deeper than any reunion with his father.
"Piccolo!!"
Piccolo chuckled softly, then shifted his tone to sothing more grounded.
[Gohan, listen. Right now, only you and Vegeta are left to defend Earth.]
[You must stand your ground. Your father isn't with Kaiō Sama. He's in the Other World, training with the greatest warriors in the universe.]
Gohan clenched his fists tightly. "I understand, Piccolo! Once I finish training with Mr. Popo, I'll avenge all of you! And once Earth is safe, I'll bring you all back to life, using the Dragon Balls from New Nak! If Kaiō Sama can give us the coordinates, Bulma Obasan can find a way to get us there!"
He looked over at Bulma as he said this. She gave him a confident nod, patting her chest.
"You got it! Leave that part to !"
Moved by Gohan's determination, Trunks finally felt so relief settle in.
(The situation isn't hopeless. If we can get to New Nak, we can wish Piccolo and the others back. And with Kaiō Sama's help, we'll find it.)
But then… Piccolo's voice faltered, cracking slightly at the end.
[Gohan…]
[I'm sorry…]
Gohan's breath hitched, a knot forming in his chest. A sinking feeling spread through him. "What is it, Piccolo?"
There was a mont of silence. Then, reluctantly, Piccolo spoke the truth.
[A few months ago… sothing terrible happened to New Nak.]
[The new Grand Elder chose to end his own life, to prevent the Dragon Balls from falling into the hands of evil.]
Gohan's heart plumted. The spark of hope he had just rekindled was snuffed out once more.
"The Nakian Dragon Balls… they're gone?" He asked in disbelief. "Then… no one can be brought back?"
His eyes glazed over, weighed down by the despair that flooded him. Bulma stood nearby, tears welling in her eyes. The grief was almost too much to bear.
A heavy silence blanketed the room. Even the air felt thicker, as if ti itself had slowed under the weight of this news.
Trunks could hardly breathe. The revelation hit him like a punch to the gut.
(What did he just say?! New Nak… is gone?)
Just then, Piccolo's voice faded out, and North Kaiō's voice returned to fill the void.
[Yes… and the one responsible for New Nak's destruction is none other than Cooler.]
[He sought the Dragon Balls to grant his wish, for immortality. He wanted the strength to defeat another tyrant rising in the cosmos.]
Trunks listened with growing dread. This was sothing that had never occurred in his tiline.
[That tyrant… is Bojack.]
Trunks stiffened, every muscle in his body on edge.
(Bojack?! But how? Cooler and Bojack… they're not supposed to cross paths! Wasn't Bojack sealed away by the four Kaiō? How could he possibly be clashing with Cooler?)
(Unless… the seal was broken…)
Gohan, sensing the gravity of what he'd heard, pushed past his sorrow. Now wasn't the ti to mourn. "Bojack? Who is that?"
[Bojack is a galactic warlord, one even stronger than Cooler. Long ago, he was sealed away by the combined power of the four Kaiō. But recently, in a desperate attempt to quell the chaos in the South Galaxy, the North Kaiō joined the fray himself… and was killed.]
[That death shattered the seal… and Bojack was freed.]
[Cooler's arrival on Earth is no coincidence. He ca to find the Dragon Balls and make his wish before Bojack grows too powerful to stop.]
"But Earth's Dragon Balls are gone too… aren't they?" Gohan asked grimly, already suspecting the answer.
[They are.] Kaiō confird solemnly. [And that's why I'm reaching out now. Knowing Cooler, once he realizes the Dragon Balls are gone, his next move will be to destroy Earth.]
[Gohan, you and Vegeta are the only ones left who can stop him!]
With that, Kaiō's voice faded, and the ntal link was severed.
Trunks stood frozen. The tiline was spiraling further from anything he recognized. If this continued, the Dragon Ball world as he knew it would unravel entirely.
Right now, all he could do was place his faith in Gohan and Vegeta.
He clenched his fists silently.
(Please… don't let it end like this.)
(End of Chapter)
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