PART EIGHT: THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN!

Chapter 36

Translated by American Vigor

In their position within the 17th Universe Balcony, Cell and one of his Juniors, even with their exceptional hearing, were amazed by how much louder the total sound from the 18th Universe Balcony was than that of the 16th Universe Balcony.

Cell watched with disgust at the Saiyans’ voracious eating habits.

While Goku of Universe 18 was eating a lot, Vegetto of Universe 16 was eating far more. In fact, Vegetto was eating more than Goku and Vegeta combined!

Gohan and Videl of Universe 18, however, were eating better than their counterparts from Universe 16. It was understandable, after all, as their Universe 16 counterparts had just seen their daughter killed in combat against Bojack.

Their own daughter right now was sitting next to Uub, and she was fighting him for one last piece of meat. In the midst of her epic battle for that last piece, she gave her parents a quick smile, then refocused her efforts.

The happiness of their own daughter, while completely appreciated, prompted Gohan and Videl to reflect upon the horrid fate that had befallen their daughter’s counterpart. While they were not Universe 16 Pan’s actual parents, their care and compassion were unequivocally, and understandably, sincere.

“Can you imagine, Gohan? Had things been a bit different, it could have been our own daughter who faced that monster,” Videl said.

“I don’t think I would have let her get in the ring,” Gohan said, to slightly reassure her. “I think my counterpart let Pan fight Bojack because she achieved her basic Super Saiyan transformation. However, if Bojack had grabbed our daughter’s neck the way he grabbed hers, I would have intervened.”

Videl saw a certain gleam in her husband’s eyes, and it reflected frustration and sadness.

He was wondering how another version of himself, who in many ways was similar, had let this happen without intervention. He even briefly wondered if his counterpart from Universe 16 regretted what had happened.

No, it was almost certain that he regretted what had happened, and Gohan knew his counterpart might feel progressively worse with time.

Because of all of this, and since the beginning of the meal, Gohan wondered if he really should let Pan withdraw from the Multiverse Tournament, as she had earlier said she wanted to do, or if he should encourage her to stay in the tournament while maintaining cautiousness.

Her grandfather had been outspoken about the fact that he did not want Pan to exit the tournament so soon after it began. While Goku was energetically eating, he noticed Gohan and Videl’s anxiety, and sensed that Pan, despite her apparent cheeriness and playful quarreling with Uub, still was very nervous.

“So, what have you decided to do, Pan?” Goku asked her, after finishing his most recent plate among a vast many.

“I … don’t know, Grandpa,” Pan said. “I’m a little scared.”

The little girl looked down, as if this revelation had made her ashamed.

Uub placed his right hand on her left shoulder, and when Pan looked at him, he smiled.

“I’m a bit scared too, Pan, but I’m not going to let that stop me,” Uub said. “I realize how much you may be surprised by some of the fighters here. I’m still amazed, myself. There’s no question that we need to be cautious, but I plan on doing my best to win even so.”

Uub turned to Goku, as if he wanted his master to validate the sentiments. Uub had, after all, learned much as a result of his fight against Tidar.

Goku responded by directly addressing Pan.

“Your next fight is against the ‘other me’ from Universe 13,” Goku said. “You're not going to not let him win so easily, are you?”

“I ...,” she began to say, with hesitation.

“You always want to fight against me, so this is your chance now!” Goku said. “Think of it, Pan! You will be able to fight against someone who basically is the ‘jerk version’ of me!”

Pan momentarily smiled at the thought, although her smile quickly faded after she made another consideration.

“But, surely he can transform into a Super Saiyan! I could never beat that!” Pan said.

Goku crossed his arms, considering the situation and thinking of various possibilities.

“Well Pan, you have the potential to transform, too!” Goku said. “It could happen, if the conditions are right. Actually, you might even end up becoming a Super Saiyan the same way your dad did!”

Gohan remembered very well the circumstances that enabled him to ascend to Super Saiyan for the first time. Unlike his father, whose Super Saiyan transformation had been unlocked on the battlefield in response to not only a need, but a natural psychological stress trigger resulting from Krillin’s death by Freeza’s actions, Gohan’s Super Saiyan transformation had resulted from a simulated psychological stress trigger.

Decades ago in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, when Goku had been training Gohan in preparation for fighting Cell, Goku had told Gohan to focus his anger and apply the strength of that emotion to his overall power. He had told Gohan to think of Cell and all the horrors he had committed, but Gohan then reminded his father that he had never actually seen Cell.

Goku then told Gohan to think of Freeza and the many horrors Gohan had seen him commit, and through this, and further training, Gohan was able to master the basic form of Super Saiyan.

Perhaps it would be possible to train with Pan a little bit outside the arena, before her fight against Kakarotto.

“It seems Goku’s advice might be helpful,” Videl said to Gohan. “Talk with Pan about this – I think it would be a good idea.”

Gohan nodded and exchanged places at the table with Videl so he could be closer to his daughter and talk with her. He wanted her to understand that through properly harnessing her anger, it could indeed be possible for her to achieve the Super Saiyan transformation.

Pan had already heard much of what Gohan was talking with her about – stories about his experiences, those of her grandfather, and even those of Vegeta. However, she felt as though she couldn’t fully relate to their stories of hardship, as she had grown up in a time of relative peace, just as her uncle Goten and Trunks had in the first seven years of their lives.

However, she still listened well, as she felt motivated. If she wanted to respectably fight Kakarotto, or even win, she would need to become a Super Saiyan! She knew she must!

While Gohan spoke with his daughter, Goku continued to eat his gargantuan meal with gusto. In fact, everyone else had almost finished their meal, but Goku, true to his traditions, had at least 10 more plates to finish.

However, different priorities occupied Uub’s thoughts. He looked up in front of him, and his gaze briefly met Bra’s own. He was greatly captivated by her beauty, but her general behavior and disdain for fighting had always caused there to be a certain distance between them. Moreover, she was Vegeta’s daughter! Uub could not imagine himself daring to ask her out on a date, as per all the various things Vegeta might do in response. Also, the subjects she liked to talk about were not often of interest to Uub. In the end, Uub felt it to be a teen romance that was not meant to be, ... or was he merely making excuses for himself? He was, indeed, fairly shy.

Yet, there was another person who intrigued him. Bra of Universe 16 was a girl of a very different sort, despite having the same mother and the same name. Uub began to look toward the group in the 16th Universe Balcony, and he especially focused on Bra. She had turned into a Super Saiyan when Pan had been killed, and her energy level seemed quite high. She was far beyond the power level of Bra from his own universe, and he loved it. He even thought to himself about how awesome it would be to fight against her, but they were on different sides of the tournament bracket ... to fight her, he would first need to defeat many opponents, as would she.

He next would have to fight either Majin Buu of Universe 11 or South Kaioshin, Then, he would likely have to defeat Goku, his own master! Among the potential opponents he would face in the fifth round, there were many of significant capability and power who could become his challenger, including Vegeta of his own universe, Trunks of Universe 12, or Cell!

While Uub thought of the prospects, Goku finally finished his meal! The Vargas then offered him dessert before the start of the next fight, which Goku had not been expecting!

Right after the Vargas left to acquire the dessert, the announcement that Vegetto and Broly would fight amazed all in the 18th Universe Balcony. But Broly and Vegetto were not the only competitors whom Goku was interested in. He was scheduled to fight #17, and he was extremely eager to do so. When Trunks of Universe 12, years ago, had arrived in Universe 18, his alternate past, to warn Goku of the then-looming threat of the cyborgs, Goku had been enthused about the possibility of fighting them, despite all Trunks had said about what had been their vastly superior power. However, when Trunks had told him that his counterpart from Universe 12, his alternate future, had died of a heart disease and had not had the opportunity to fight the cyborgs himself, this had frustrated Goku, for he felt his counterpart had not had the opportunity to fight a war he deserved to fight.

As a result of the progression of events that led to Cell achieving his perfect form and Gohan ultimately defeating Cell, Goku had never actually met #17, although this time, he would fight #17’s counterpart from Universe 14, face-to-face! Even though the difference in their abilities by now was quite extreme, Goku still knew he would have some fun.

Then, in the third round, he was to face either Nappa or Freeza, two opponents he had defeated before, and whom he was eager to defeat again!

And in the fourth round, he hoped to be able to fight without limitation or refraining from using his full power. Yes, the prospect that he would fight Uub was awesome for Goku, who was eager to use his true maximum capacity in battle.

The dessert then arrived! As Goku was preparing for his next round of food, Trunks of Universe 12 approached the group from Universe 18. He wanted to eat with them and talk about the adventures they’d had, and to see how they’d progressed in life. Talking with them again itself was something his mother would love to hear about; the fact that the entire group of Universe 18 heartily welcomed him to their table and offered him a place to sit was even better.

Videl left the seat she had been sitting in so that Trunks could sit between Gohan and Goku, and directly across from Vegeta. Videl then sat where Pan had been sitting and placed her on her lap. They talked of Trunks’ world, earnestly listening to the progress of reconstruction and becoming quite appreciative of the fact that #16 of Universe 12 had been a significant asset to those efforts. Trunks elaborated upon how he’d found #16 in Dr. Gero’s Laboratory and then repaired him with Bulma’s help, causing Gohan to reminisce about #16 from his own universe.

Gohan would have liked to have talked with Trunks about Majin Buu and Babidi, especially with regard to whether the duo had ever threatened the Earth of Trunks’ universe. However, he knew there was not much time until the tournament was to resume, and he anticipated that Trunks might have a lengthy story to tell. He therefore refrained from asking Trunks about this crucial issue, although he intended to eventually ask him.

Trunks soon realized, as a result of interacting with the group, that his father of Universe 18 had come to possess a noticeably different personality than had been the case in the time period of the battles against the cyborgs and Cell. Right before Trunks had left Universe 18 following the Cell Games, in fact, he had noticed that his father’s personality had slightly changed. But now, the difference was unmistakable.

However, while Trunks found Vegeta’s evolved outlook on life to be of great interest, he in no way planned to refrain from demonstrating his full power against his father because of it. Unlike in their struggles with Cell right after he had achieved his perfect form, Trunks in no way wanted to refrain from showing his father his full power in their upcoming fight during the tournament’s second round. Besides, Vegeta would not want Trunks to show restraint.

Trunks also was intrigued by the fact that Tapion was present in the tournament. Tapion’s sword seemed to be of remarkable craftsmanship, and Trunks was fascinated by the possibility of having a sword duel with a warrior of such honor ... He also was envious of Kulilin, for he would have the opportunity to face Tapion in the next round.

On a serious note, Trunks also wanted to talk about the issue of Broly’s potential unleashing upon the tournament. However, before he could refer to the subject, his counterpart from Universe 16 and Goten of that universe arrived at the small wall barrier between the 17th and 18th Universe Balconies.

Even though Trunks and Goten of Universe 16 were still standing within the 17th Universe Balcony, they were seemingly ignoring the presences of Cell and his Junior, whose gazes reflected their contempt of the Saiyans’ sudden intrusion.

Trunks and Goten of Universe 16 focused on their friends in the 18th Universe Balcony and enthusiastically waved hello to them before asking for permission to enter.

“Yo, can we join the party?” Trunks of Universe 16 asked.

“Another meeting of the Trunks trio! Yeah, come on in!” said Trunks of Universe 18.

The two Saiyans then jumped over the wall and landed in the 18th Universe Balcony. Had they stayed even a few moments longer in his balcony, Cell had been planning to throw them over the wall himself, although their promptness had spared them that confrontation.

As Trunks of Universe 16 walked closer to the group, Trunks of Universe 12 laughed to himself. He had never imagined before the start of the Multiverse Tournament that he would meet two other versions of himself from other universes while they were all the same age. It was true that because of his time travel adventures, he had already technically met both Trunks from Universe 16 and Trunks from Universe 18 when they had been younger than two years old, although for all three of them to be the same age and able to talk with each other was astounding. Of course, this was the second time since the start of the tournament in which the three of them had talked with each other and been in the same universe balcony, but Trunks of Universe 12 still found the experience to be quite surreal.

“So, did you guys enjoy lunch?” Goten of Universe 18 asked.

“No, actually,” Goten of Universe 16 said. “Vegetto ate just about everything!”

“We had a bit to eat, but you could say that we’re still hungry,” Trunks of Universe 16 said.

“Do you have any leftovers?” Goten of Universe 16 asked.

“Just a bit of dessert left, but sorry, no other food,” Goku said. “Gosh, he really ate almost everything?”

“Kakarotto, how the Hell are you surprised by this?” Vegeta asked.

“Well, since he’s the two of you together, he quite often eats more than even you could possibly imagine,” Trunks of Universe 16 said. “Yeah, he ate the overwhelming majority of the three or four courses we were served.”

“In fact, I think there was some food that might have come to our table and most of us just didn’t realize it,” Goten of Universe 16 said.

“The food from our table appeared to be disappearing way faster than we were eating it,” Trunks said.

“Wow, I had no idea that once we merged, we’d have so much of an appetite!” Goku said.

“Actually, speaking of that, ... could you all tell me more about fusion?” Trunks asked.

All who were present from Universes 18 and 16 quickly redirected their attention toward him. It was true that he did not know this concept well, although through logical deduction, he had begun to suspect that there was a connection among Goku, Vegeta, and Vegetto.

“We could do more than tell you,” Goten of Universe 18 said.

“Yeah, we could show you if you want!” Goten of Universe 16 said.

Trunks of Universe 18 and Trunks of Universe 16 agreed.

“Let’s go outside the arena so we can show you,” Trunks of Universe 18 said, as he rose from the table, ready to depart. “You’ll see how awesome it is!”

“Wait just a minute,” Trunks of Universe 16 said, while trying to carefully carry as many cakes as he possibly could, so he could feast on them later. “And, ... okay. I’m ready.”

“So am I!” said Goten of Universe 16, who also was carrying loads of cake.

Trunks of Universe 12 felt obligated to follow, although he would have preferred having the opportunity to discuss the imminent threat of Broly.

With their cakes secured, Trunks and Goten of Universe 16 flew upward, quickly followed by Trunks and Goten of Universe 18.

Trunks of Universe 12 then departed as well, waving a quick goodbye to all who remained in the 18th Universe Balcony.

The five “friends,” once outside the arena, flew far away so they would not be readily seen by anyone else. Once out-of-sight, Trunks and Goten of Universe 18 began to explain the principles of fusion to Trunks of Universe 12.

“My dad, Goku, taught us fusion so that we could fight Majin Buu,” Goten of Universe 18 said.

“Are you referring to your universe’s counterpart of the fighter from Universe 11?” Trunks of Universe 12 asked.

“At the beginning, yes,” Trunks of Universe 18 said. “However, we soon had to fight another version of Buu who looked like the one from Universe 4.”

“The principle of fusion is that two fighters join their powers and abilities together, becoming an even more capable warrior!” Goten of Universe 16 said. “The result is amazing!”

“While our dads used magical earrings to fuse and become Vegetto, we’ve fused many times using a different method,” Trunks of Universe 16 said. “We’ll show you it right now!”

“Yeah!” shouted his counterpart from Universe 18.

Suddenly, however, Goten of Universe 18 realized that it would be tactically inadvisable to fuse at that moment.

“Wait!” he said, to the others’ surprise. “Unlike Vegetto, our fusion lasts only 30 minutes, but it takes 30 more before we can fuse again. We’re going to need all the time we can get if Broly wakes up and attacks us! Sorry, man. We're going to have to refrain from showing you our fusion right now.”

“Hey, it’s no problem,” Trunks of Universe 12 said. “I understand.”

“My dad will take care of Broly; don’t you worry,” Trunks of Universe 16 said, while Trunks of Universe 12 became amazed by the boldness and confidence of the assertion.

“I’d still rather not take a risk by fusing now,” Goten of Universe 18 said. “However, we could still do the moves!”

“Movements?” Trunks of Universe 12 asked.

“Yes! The fusion technique we use is a dance!” Trunks of Universe 18 said.

“A ... dance?” Trunks of Universe 12 asked, with significant disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s called the Fusion Dance!” Trunks of Universe 18 said.

“At first, after we saw the motions, we thought the idea was stupid and that it sucked,” Goten of Universe 18 said. “After a while, though, we gave it a chance and it turned out to be great!”

Trunks and Goten of Universe 18 then began to demonstrate the Fusion Dance, starting from the initial position and slowly displaying the motions, all while Trunks of Universe 12 stared at them with astonishment.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Trunks of Universe 12 said. “Is this some sort of a joke?”

After having seen that demo, he very much hoped it was.

“No man, it really works!” Trunks of Universe 18 said.

‘Damn, I’m glad I’ve avoided the embarrassment of having to dance to become stronger,’ Trunks thought to himself, amazed that such a technique could exist and that two alternate versions of himself had actually agreed to perform it.

“Dude, you should totally try it out!” Trunks of Universe 16 said.

“Yeah, try it with me!” Goten of Universe 16 said.

Trunks of Universe 12 nervously smiled while thinking of a way to get out of this.

“Well, ... uh, ... I’ve got #16 waiting for me back at the arena, so I’d better get back there!” Trunks said, as he attempted to fly away from his counterparts and the two Gotens.

However, he quickly saw the two Gotens appear in front of him, and as he looked behind him, he saw his two counterparts.

Each Goten had a rather ridiculous grin on his face, and it became clear to Trunks of Universe 12 that the four of them weren’t going to let him leave unless he partook in the festivities.

After accepting the fact that he was going to be participating in the charade, he became uptight with a feeling of humiliation, although he chuckled for a moment upon seeing Trunks of Universe 16 scarf down one of the cakes he’d brought with him in what appeared to be five bites.

Trunks of Universe 12 followed for many minutes the movements of his counterparts and the Gotens, all to learn a dance that seemed beyond absurd and which, had his “friends” not insisted it to be an actual technique, he would have regarded merely as a ridiculous joke.

When they finally decided to stop, Trunks of Universe 12 felt in the mood to destroy something. While he knew this was an overly aggressive response to what had happened, he decided to resolve the feeling by punching Freeza in the face upon the next available opportunity.

As they were flying back to the arena, Trunks of Universe 12 then asked his counterparts and the Gotens a key question.

“Is is true that you all fought Broly?” he asked.

“Good times,” Goten of Universe 16 sarcastically said.

“We’ll tell you all about it,” Trunks of Universe 18 said, before beginning his stories.

The five warriors returned to the arena quite soon before the next match was about to start. Almost as soon as they had arrived, a few Vargas asked them to return to their respective balconies for the start of the second half of the first round.

Trunks of Universe 12 then bid farewell to his “friends,” although he was looking forward to further opportunities to talk with them, hopefully with no further dancing involved.

While flying back toward the 12th Universe Balcony, he noticed that in the 19th Universe Balcony, men in armor were united in prayer, making a last tribute to Tidar, the warrior who had been killed by Uub. The nano-warriors of Helior hoped that the Vargas would keep their word that Tidar would be resurrected at the end of the tournament.

While Tidar’s loss had been a dire one, they did not want to lose even more of their fellow warriors in the upcoming fights.

In the 20th Universe Balcony, Namekians and Vargas were approaching the block of ice that had remarkably not melted much since it had been placed in the balcony. One of the Namekians put his right hand on the surface of the ice block, and at the request of a Varga, he began to thaw Broly ...

It was a risky move, indeed, especially because the tournament’s hosts were about to risk the lives of many participants and spectators, all so the Legendary Super Saiyan could fight.

Suddenly, the tension heightened among all from Universe 18. Those among them who had faced Broly in combat were especially on-guard, as they remembered, with great clarity, the horrors and tribulations of battling him.