PART FIFTEEN: THE END OF THE FIRST DAY

Chapter 72

Translated by npberryhill

Son Goku approached the space of universe 9, smiling gleefully. Kulilin and Tenshinhan were there, relaxing and talking together; Yamcha was next to them just listening. But when they saw the Saiyan from universe 18 approaching, they stopped, eying him with silent eyes, and waited.

“Hi!” Goku said cheerfully. “I'm glad to see you all here!”

Awkwardly, no one from universe 9 responded to his salutation. Goku, oblivious, quickly resumed talking to Kulilin.

“So hey, it’s too bad the version of you from my universe didn’t come and participate in the tournament. I guess I should have insisted, but oh well. It would have been really neat for both of you guys to talk to each other. But your wife and daughter or, I guess, his wife and daughter, wanted him to stay.”

The trio of warriors from universe 9 were each very surprised at the revelation. None could imagine their Kulilin being married.

“I have a wife?” asked Kulilin.

“Yep, it’s true. Though, it is in another universe. Let’s see...I know I saw her around here somewhere. Oh, there she is!” Goku pointed to number 18 after searching a second.

“I can’t believe it!” Yamcha said, chuckling. “How could HE pull off marrying such a babe...unreal?!?”

“Ahah!” said Videl. She had been casually listening, but suddenly peaked up. “I knew you were into her, Yamcha! You’re jealous!”

“Hey there, Princess, don’t say things like that! Bulma is standing just inside! And I assure you my actions and intentions are honorable.”

“Of course,” Videl replied sarcastically. “And I’m sure that if this number eighteen was ugly, old, and wrinkled, you’d have reached out to her anyway.” She rolled her eyes.

“But isn’t she a little too young for me?” Kulilin said, noticing just how youthful and beautiful the wife of his counterpart, the cyborg # 18 of universe 14, was.

“Don’t forget that she’s a cyborg,” Yamcha corrected his friend. “She probably hasn’t aged at all; if she’d only let me help her get some proper maintenance...”

“Wait, so you've never seen her before?” asked Gohan of universe 18, who had just arrived with his wife and daughter.

“No ...” Kulilin responded.

“Hmm ... that’s strange. I guess things with Doctor Gero happened a lot differently in your universe. But you're a cyborg as well, Yamcha ... How did that happen anyway?”

“That's actually a really long story ... but why don’t you tell us about yourself first. See, we know the Saiyans, and well, they were ... evil. We can tell both of you are Saiyans too, but you seem really good natured.”

He was right. There were none purer than Goku and Gohan, if such a thing were even possible. Plus, there probably wasn’t anyone more naive than Goku either.

“Yep, I am a Saiyan,” he replied. “But I landed on Earth when I was just a baby. I was found and raised by old Son Gohan, my grandfather.”

“Son Gohan?” Kulilin and Yamcha said in unison.

“You know him?” Goku asked.

“Yeah, he was my martial arts master,” Yamcha replied.

Goku thought quickly. If he had never landed on Earth, he never would have accidentally killed his grandfather ... which could perhaps explain how Grampa Gohan could be Yamcha’s martial arts teacher ... but Goku still had to guess how Yamcha and the others would have possibly met him ...

“I suppose that Gohan taught you good manners?” Kulilin asked, quite interested.

According to him, old Son Gohan was one of the few people that might have a strong enough caliber of character to turn someone with an evil nature into a good person.

“He sure did. When I was just a baby I was apparently very violent and mischievous. But one day I fell on my head and after that I turned into a friendly little boy ...

“That may explain the difference between you and the universe 13 Kakarotto,” Tien observed.

“Without a doubt,” Gohan said. “That mad murderer obviously killed everyone on Earth. Who knows what kinds of twisted evil he caused before he was eventually found by the other remaining Saiyans.”

The Earthlings of universe 9 began to reflect, comparing all the different scenarios. Every consequence was the result of an event that, if altered, could completely change everything about their world. A baby Saiyan who arrives on Earth could either make a universe of evil Saiyans or another full of good-hearted warriors. But if that baby never came to Earth to begin with, the Saiyans who eventually came would be defeated by Earthlings, as in their world ... It was all very interesting, considering all the ways things could have been changed.

“So, how did you and I meet? asked Kulilin.

“We were both trained by Muten Roshi.” Goku said, smiling as he remembered their many adventures.

“Ah,” Kululin said.

It made sense. Goku was raised by Son Gohan, who was, himself, a disciple of Muten Roshi. It was logical that they both met while under his tutelage.

“How is he?” he asked again.

“Who, Roshi? Well, he’s definitely still the same as always. I’ll say!”

“I see ... so him being a pervert from one universe to another is the one true constant. Ha! Ha!”

Kulilin was certainly glad to learn his old master was still alive in universe 18. And it was nice surprise that the Saiyans of universe 18 were trustworthy and good. But Kululin still didn’t know if he and this Goku could really be friends ... not after all he knew about Saiyans.

“Now I’ve got a question. So did Yamcha ever meet a girl or anything? And, on an unrelated subject, uh, how’s Bulma?”

“Smooth one, Dad.” Gohan added jokingly.

“Yes, he did. And as for Bulma, she’s very well. In fact, she should be coming out here any second. I wonder what’s keeping them ...”

Four people suddenly appeared, coming down the hallway which led to the apartment for space 9. Goku and Gohan had no trouble recognizing them, even if one of the four people looked quite a bit different than he did in their universe ... he was familiar but not quite the same.

Bulma began talking to Videl, while the old Kaioshin, who had escaped from the Z sword, positioned himself behind the two lovely ladies where he could enjoy the view. Apparently, he had tried to hit on Videl and had been shot down. But that didn’t stop him from slyly observing.

“Yo, Bulma!” Goku said, waving his hand.

She suddenly turned, looking at him in surprise.

“Yes, it seems they know all of us,” Kulilin explained, raising an eyebrow at the information.

“Or almost,” Gohan interrupted, turning to the fourth character. “Trunks?”

“Yes,” replied the young man, surprised at the tone of the ‘question’. It seemed that everyone except the universe to which he belonged knew why there was confusion.

“So, you’re the son of Bulma and ...”

Gohan voluntarily left his question open ended, waiting for somebody to respond. Yamcha smiled, answering by pointing with thumb to his face and smiling.

“That’d be me. And speaking of which, I’ve been wondering something ... who is the father of this Trunks from universe 12? He resembles the one of your universe and universe 16?

“Oh, right. They’re all the son of Vegeta,” Goku replied.

The former desert bandit began to turn red with anger.

“I knew it, the bastard!”

“Me ... with a Saiyan? That’s awful! What did I do to deserve that?”

“Don’t worry, Bulma,” Gohan quickly comforted. “In our world, you're very happy with him. He was bad for a while, but eventually he came over to the right side. You two have a daughter as well, she’s in our space over there ...”

Bulma and Yamcha said nothing, looking over at Bra for a few seconds. Finally, Bulma smiled.

“Oh, she looks nice ... but she isn’t participating?” Bulma asked.

“No.”

“Ours isn’t either. She wasn’t at all interested in fighting, much less a tournament. Actually, she didn’t even come,” the mother U9 Bra informed them.

“But you, on the contrary, are more interested than your counterpart from our universe,” added Gohan.

Bulma laughed, contemplating silly reasons why her counterpart of universe 18 might have stayed home.

“Actually, I'm here ‘just in case’. You know without me Yamcha wouldn’t make it very far.”

“Ha! Ha! It’s true. Bulma keeps me going—literally. Thanks to her, I'm better maintained than those cyborgs of universe 14. I’m in perfect working condition!”

“Yes, you fought well,” Goku said, returning to the conversation. “It blew me away, actually! You're a lot different from the Yamcha I know! And not just in power, either.”

“Ah, I was wondering if in your universe I was less powerful ... but oh well, as long as I'm alive! I am alive, right?”

“Sure!” Goku said. Though Yamcha had died several times over the years, he and the others had been revived each time.

Yamcha smiled. It was comforting to know he was alive. It put everything about universe 18 in a more positive light; the place now seeming much less ‘dangerous’. And, speaking of dangerous people, he had to save some. He looked over at the space of universe 14, where the two cyborgs # 17 and # 18 stood motionless. He decided to get to it right away.

“Well, I’m off; gotta go see those two cyborgs of universe 14. You coming?” he asked his wife. Her technical advice regarding android technology might be the extra bit he needed to convince them.

“Yes, I’ll go,” she said.

Yamcha quickly left, hopping over the low wall between universes.

“So hey, Tenshinhan, tell me about yourself!” Goku said. “Your strength was very impressive in your fight!”

“Thanks, but I'm sure you would be bored...” he replied.

“Ah, of course not,” said Goku. But the other two beside him stepped away.

It wasn’t that they weren’t interested in Tenshinhan’s story, but Gohan and Videl wanted to discuss with another person. Videl nodded at her counterpart as they approached each other. Feeling lonely, Kulilin decided to go talk to the old Kaioshin and Trunks.

For a few seconds neither Videl nor Gohan knew what to say. They had so many questions that they didn’t know where to start. And they simply couldn’t find a good foundation to start their conversation on.

The warrior of universe 9 turned to her counterpart and her husband of universe 18, lastly noticing their daughter. She couldn’t immediately contemplate how all these things could have all been different for her. It was just a little difficult to imagine what might have happened. How did she fall in love with a guy who, though certainly well cut, did not seem like the type to enjoy fighting? If only she had known how incredibly powerful Gohan was she might have thought differently of him. Her counterpart was the same way, who clearly was not a fighter anymore, if ever, based on her clothing. In contrast, she had pledged that her life would be centered on combat and martial arts. However, those of the universe 18 seemed to prefer a quiet life in the suburbs. What happened to her that lead to such a stark contrast?

“Your fight was great,” Gohan finally said. “I had no idea you could be so strong! I was wondering, what kind of training did you do?”

“I had all the best teachers.”

“Oh, hey! Do you have a daughter named Pan?” Gohan's daughter interrupted.

“Pan? Uh, no, I have a son who is younger than you.”

“So ... I have a little brother? You hear that, Mom?” she said with a smile, turning to her mom.

“Uh, yes.”

The information took her a bit by surprise. Videl was still wondering how and why this version of her had stayed in martial arts fighting, instead of living a peaceful life with her family. Plus, it was incredibly strange to see herself dressed that way.

A son ... although she would never have traded her daughter for a boy, the idea of ​​having a son was one she had contemplated many times. If nothing else, at least she had one in universe 9. Gohan had also dreamed of having a son, wondering what he would name the boy ... but he preferred to return to the original conversation topic.

“So, how long have you known the Kaioken?” he asked.

“More than twenty years ... I learned it pretty early on so I could keep raising my strength.”

“She forgot to say that it was mainly to train me more quickly, right dear?” Trunks said, approaching the group.

“Oh, so you’re strong too? Being the son of Bulma, that actually doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well, with regards to fighting. I'm a little off my game lately. But I was pretty good, yes. I never made it past Kaioken times ten though.”

“Kaioken, eh? You mastered it too?”

“Yeah.”

“But who taught you how to use it?”

“Master Kulilin and Master Tenshinhan.”

“Ah, I see. But then, who did they learn it from?”

“A Kaio, the one who created it.” Trunks replied.

It was logical, of course. It meant they both had died at some point, at a time when the Earth was being threatened ...

“Well, I hope you win your match,” Videl said to her counterpart’s daughter. “Pan, be careful. The Saiyans are cruel; they aren’t going to give you an easy victory. Do you know the Kaioken?”

“No ...” she sullenly said.

“See, I’m the daughter and granddaughter of Saiyans. My grandfather, who kind of leads our group, won’t teach me. Instead, he wants me to unlock the Super Saiyan transformation.

“That thing with golden hair?” asked Trunks.

“Yeah,” Pan muttered.

“Well, I sure hope you don’t turn out like that other Pan ...”

Everyone froze, silent. The remark might have seemed cruel, but it was justified.

“Well, Bojack was immensely stronger than the opponent you fought,” Gohan had said to Pan.

The thought of him scared her. “Even when that other me was a Super Saiyan, she still lost.”

“It definitely wasn’t a lucky matchup,” Videl of universe 9 said softly.

“And this Kakarotto, how strong is he?” Trunks asked, interested in the upcoming fight of his half-daughter from another universe.

“Well we don’t really know. They say they are the ‘Super Saiyans’... it’s possible he could be as strong as dad, I guess ... even if Pan became a Super Saiyan, Kakarotto has way more battle experience ...

“Hey, Dad ... can I go talk to universe 16?” Pan suddenly asked, running off before the answer came.

Gohan barely noticed, but nodded "yes" at her as she ran off, his typical fatherly approval given without much thought to what she was doing.

“See ya later, Mom!” Pan said, not to her real mother but to the Videl of U9

Videl was a little embarrassed but she still smiled and waved bye to Pan. The girl then happily skipped over to the space belonging to universe 16.

“So Videl, tell me about your training,” her counterpart of U18 asked, quite interested.

After the discussion about his daughter and her match against Kakarotto, Son Gohan was surprised that Videl would be so light-hearted or even talk about fighting. But he was insightful: in both cases, he could guess why such a reaction occurred—she missed it, at least a little.

The couple ended up staying and discussing things with Trunks and Videl for quite a long while, thinking of all the ways their stories were linked. Nearby, Goku continued to talk with Tenshinhan, who, as he got to know the Saiyan better, one minute at a time, relaxed his prudence and suspicion; perhaps the two could become friends after all!

Yamcha then arrived at the area of the cyborgs. On the way, he continued pondering those he had met from universe 18. Perhaps later he would ask them some more questions, like where they lived or who they lived with. But now that he had gotten to the space of universe 14 he focused only on the cyborgs. He smiled over at # 17, stretching forth his hand. But the cyborg never even glanced at him and simply replied without moving.

“You wouldn’t have defeat me.”

Yamcha was once again amazed at the totally unsociable reaction he received. He almost began to argue, but restrained himself at the last moment: having a quarrel with them wasn’t going to help anything. It was really his only good idea.

Still, Yamcha was not stupid, and he was full of good intentions. What he wanted was to be a wise master, like Son Gohan, who could bring someone back to the right side. If his former master, Gohan, was the expert, though, Yamcha was clearly still the young pupil. He had not been able to learn everything he should have in his training.

Number 17 didn’t know how it was possible that this Yamcha seemed to care about him, or why the annoying warrior would believe he could trust them. It was awkward, as he and his sister mostly ignored him, as well as occasionally throwing in some ridicule. He kept preaching anecdotal stories, many of which couldn’t have possibly been true, in hope that the androids would be convinced. But it was in vain—and worse when they realized that none of his stories made any sense!

The cyborgs were proving extremely difficult to convince ... perhaps even impossible. For many years, decades, they had lived alone, killing everyone in their path. They were murderers, without a shred of humanity. Everything about them was completely different from Yamcha, as well as their android counterparts from universe 16 and 18, none of whom had attended the tournament. Were Yamcha’s attempts to save # 18 doomed to failure from the start?

Eventually Yamcha decided to leave them be for now, planning to return later. # 17 hardly noticed that he even left and # 18 just continued sitting there, staring blankly off into space. Maybe after losing in the tournament they might be more willing to hear him out.

To that end, Yamcha planned to return and see how they were doing at the end of the second round.