Chapter 8: The Games Begin
Day of the Tournament - Morning
The sprawling arena Cell had constructed rose from the earth like a monument to arrogance, its pristine white tiles gleaming under the morning sun. But to the Time Patrol, positioned in their carefully concealed observation points, it looked more like a temporal bomb waiting to detonate.
"Final power assessments," Zero commanded through their shared communications network, his sealed form motionless as he surveyed the gathering storm of ki signatures.
Scarlett's fingers flew across her most sophisticated scanner, the device pushed to its absolute limits as it attempted to measure forces that shouldn't exist in this timeline. "Cell's base power is reading at 4.2 billion units—sixty-seven percent above historical parameters. His intelligence enhancement makes accurate combat projections impossible."
"The challengers?" Eleryc asked, though his Kai heritage was already providing disturbing answers.
"Goku emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber twelve hours ahead of schedule," Aiko reported from her position monitoring the arriving fighters. "His mastery of Super Saiyan has reached a level the original timeline didn't achieve until years later."
"Gohan's development is even more concerning," Jinjer added, her divine senses focused on the half-Saiyan boy who would ultimately determine the fate of all timelines. "His suppressed power is fluctuating in ways that suggest his emotional triggers are more sensitive than recorded."
"Meaning?" Zero pressed.
"His Super Saiyan 2 transformation could occur earlier or later than historically documented," Scarlett explained. "The enhanced stress environment has created psychological variables we can't predict."
As the morning progressed, fighters and spectators gathered around Cell's arena. The familiar faces were all present—Mr. Satan with his boisterous confidence, the news crews broadcasting to a terrified world, the Z-Fighters preparing for what they believed would be their final battle.
But Cell himself stood at the center of the arena with an aura of cold calculation that far exceeded his original incarnation's simple malevolence.
"Welcome," Cell announced as the cameras rolled, his voice carrying clearly across the assembled crowd. "Today's tournament will determine the fate of this world. But more than that, it will answer questions that have lingered in the shadows of time itself."
His perfect gaze swept across the arena, seeming to look directly at the Time Patrol's concealed positions. "I extend a special invitation to those who believe they can manipulate destiny from the darkness. Step forward and face the consequences of your interference."
"He's not just talking to the crowd," Aiko whispered, her enhanced hearing detecting subtle harmonics in Cell's voice that were directed beyond normal perception. "He's sending a message through temporal frequencies."
"Towa's taught him to communicate across dimensional barriers," Eleryc realized with growing alarm. "He's not just challenging Earth's warriors—he's calling out every temporal manipulator in existence."
Before Zero could respond, reality rippled around the arena. Dark portals opened at precise points around the battlefield, and figures began emerging that had no place in this timeline.
"Temporal breach alert!" Scarlett announced urgently. "Multiple unauthorized arrivals—power signatures unknown!"
The first figure to emerge was a warrior clad in dark armor, his energy signature radiating malevolent intent. Behind him came others—beings from corrupted timelines where evil had triumphed, each one drawn by Cell's interdimensional challenge.
"Time Breakers," Zero identified grimly. "Towa's gathered an army of corrupted warriors from alternate timelines."
"This isn't just a tournament anymore," Jinjer breathed as more dark warriors materialized. "It's a convergence. Multiple timelines colliding at a single point."
Cell's laughter echoed across the arena as chaos erupted among the spectators. But instead of fleeing, the gathered humans found themselves held in place by an invisible force—Cell's telekinetic abilities enhanced beyond their original scope.
"Magnificent," Cell declared, his arms spread wide as he surveyed the dimensional chaos he had orchestrated. "Now we can have a truly perfect tournament. Warriors from across time and space, all gathered to test their strength against perfection itself."
The original challengers—Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and the others—found themselves facing not just Cell but an entire army of corrupted beings from timelines where darkness had won.
"Emergency protocols activated," Zero announced to his team. "This has escalated beyond standard intervention parameters. We're facing total timeline collapse if this convergence continues."
"The dimensional barriers are failing," Scarlett reported, her scanner painting an increasingly apocalyptic picture. "Each new arrival weakens the separation between timelines. If this continues..."
"Every timeline will merge into a single chaotic mass," Eleryc finished. "No past, no future, just an eternal present of conflict."
Cell stepped forward, his perfect form radiating power that made the air itself tremble. "Let the games begin," he announced. "But first, I have a special invitation for some very particular guests."
His eyes focused directly on the Time Patrol's hidden positions. "I know you're there, shadow warriors. I know you've been pulling strings, manipulating events, believing yourselves the guardians of history. Step forward and face judgment for your arrogance."
The challenge hung in the air like a death sentence. Every instinct told the Time Patrol to remain hidden, to find another way to resolve the crisis. But as more corrupted warriors poured through the dimensional rifts, it became clear that conventional tactics would be insufficient.
"Sir," Aiko said quietly through their comms, "we can't fight this from the shadows anymore."
"Direct engagement will expose us to every timeline we've ever protected," Zero replied, his sealed form betraying the weight of the decision before him.
"And non-engagement guarantees the destruction of every timeline that exists," Scarlett pointed out, her scanner showing probability cascades spiraling toward absolute chaos.
Cell's voice echoed across the arena again, this time carrying harmonics that resonated through dimensional space itself. "Time Patrol, I grow impatient. Show yourselves, or watch as I demonstrate my power on these innocent spectators."
His hand began to glow with destructive energy, aimed not at the gathered fighters but at the terrified humans trapped by his telekinetic hold.
"No choice," Zero declared, finally breaking their cardinal rule. "All units, converge on the arena. Direct engagement authorized."
"Finally," Cell said with satisfaction as five figures materialized from the air around his arena. "The puppet masters reveal themselves."
The Time Patrol stood exposed in the center of the arena, their identities revealed to every timeline, every possibility, every future they had sworn to protect. The weight of that exposure was crushing, but the alternative—allowing Cell's convergence to destroy everything—was unthinkable.
"Cell," Zero said, his sealed form beginning to crack as he prepared to access his true power for the first time in millennia. "Your tournament ends now."
"On the contrary," Cell replied, his perfect features twisted in a smile of pure anticipation. "It has only just begun."
The air around the arena began to distort as powers beyond mortal comprehension prepared to clash. The Cell Games had become something far more dangerous than anyone had imagined—a battle that would determine not just the fate of Earth, but the very nature of existence across all timelines.
And in her dimensional sanctuary, Towa watched with delighted satisfaction as her perfect storm finally reached its crescendo.
Convergence Point
The moment Zero's sealed form began to crack, releasing energies that hadn't touched reality in eons, every fighter in the arena felt the shift. Goku's eyes widened as he sensed power that dwarfed even his wildest imagination, while Vegeta's pride warred with the tactical understanding that they faced forces beyond Saiyan comprehension.
"What... what are you people?" Krillin stammered, his human instincts screaming warnings as the five Time Patrol members revealed their true nature.
"We are the guardians you never knew you needed," Zero replied, his unsealing process causing reality to ripple around him. "And today, we fight together or everything ends."
Cell's laughter echoed across the dimensional chaos as more corrupted warriors poured through the rifts. "How touching. The puppet masters finally acknowledge their puppets as equals. But you misunderstand the game entirely."
With a gesture, Cell commanded his army of Time Breakers to spread across the arena. Each one was a perverted reflection of heroes from timelines where evil had triumphed—a corrupted Gohan whose power had been turned to destruction, a Vegeta who had never learned honor, a Piccolo whose merger with evil had been complete.
"The convergence isn't a side effect," Cell continued, his perfect form ascending into the air as temporal storms swirled around him. "It's the purpose. I'm not just going to defeat you—I'm going to absorb the essence of every timeline, every possibility, every future that ever could be."
"Multiversal absorption," Scarlett breathed in horror, her scanner detecting energy patterns that threatened to overwhelm its circuits. "He's planning to become not just perfect, but infinite."
"Then we stop him," Goku said with characteristic simplicity, stepping forward despite the overwhelming odds. "All of us, together."
"The Earthling is correct," Eleryc announced, his Kai heritage allowing him to perceive the threads of possibility converging around them. "This battle requires unity across all warrior classes."
Jinjer's divine ki flared as she addressed the assembled fighters. "We can explain later. Right now, we need tactical coordination. Cell's army represents the worst possible outcomes from multiple timelines—but that also means they share the same weaknesses as their original counterparts."
"Meaning we know how to fight them," Trunks realized, his sword beginning to glow with temporal energy as he grasped the implications.
"Exactly," Aiko confirmed, her enhanced senses cataloging the approaching enemies. "But Cell himself is the real threat. His enhanced intelligence means he'll adapt to any strategy we develop."
Zero's unsealing reached a critical point, his true form beginning to emerge as layers of temporal restraints dissolved. "Then we don't give him time to adapt. Overwhelming force, coordinated strike, simultaneous on multiple fronts."
The battle erupted with intensity that shattered the dimensional barriers further. The corrupted Time Breakers engaged the Z-Fighters in individual combat while the Time Patrol focused on Cell himself. But the bio-android's enhanced capabilities proved immediately apparent as he simultaneously fought all five Time Patrol members without seeming strained.
"His power distribution is perfect," Scarlett reported through gritted teeth as she dodged a devastating energy blast. "No wasted movement, no inefficient techniques. Towa's enhancements have eliminated every flaw in his design."
"Then we create new flaws," Jinjer declared, her experience as a former villain providing crucial insight. "Eleryc, can you destabilize his temporal enhancements?"
"Working on it," the half-Kai replied, his hands weaving complex patterns as he attempted to unravel Towa's modifications. "But his consciousness is fighting back. He's learned to reinforce his own temporal structure."
Across the arena, Goku faced off against a corrupted version of himself—a Goku whose pure heart had been twisted into something monstrous. The philosophical horror of fighting his own potential for evil was almost overwhelming.
"This is what you could become," the dark Goku taunted, his attacks carrying the same techniques but perverted with malicious intent. "This is what your power truly serves."
"No," Goku replied firmly, his Super Saiyan aura blazing brighter. "Power serves the choice we make. And I choose to protect."
Meanwhile, Gohan found himself facing the most disturbing opponent of all—a version of himself where his hidden power had been unlocked not by righteous anger but by despair and hatred. This corrupted Gohan moved with vicious efficiency, his attacks designed to cause maximum psychological damage.
"You feel it, don't you?" the dark Gohan sneered as their energies clashed. "The anger just beneath the surface. The desire to hurt those who hurt others. Give in to it."
"I feel it," Gohan admitted, his young voice carrying surprising wisdom. "But I won't become it."
As the battles raged, Zero's complete unsealing finally revealed his true nature—a being whose power stemmed from temporal mastery itself, one of the original architects of time's flow. His unsealed form radiated authority that made even Cell pause.
"Temporal Architect class," Cell mused, his perfect intellect immediately categorizing the threat. "I had wondered what the Time Patrol's true nature was. How fascinating that you would risk exposing your highest classification for these mortals."
"Some things are worth the risk," Zero replied, his voice now carrying harmonics that resonated across dimensional barriers. "The protection of free will. The preservation of choice. The right of every timeline to determine its own destiny."
"Pretty words," Cell said with cold amusement. "But ultimately meaningless. I have seen the end of all things, architect. I have absorbed the knowledge of infinite possibilities. There is no choice that matters except the choice to become perfect."
The philosophical battle began to manifest as a physical one as Zero and Cell engaged in combat that operated on levels beyond normal comprehension. Their attacks didn't just affect the present moment but sent ripples through time itself, each strike potentially altering the past or future.
"The temporal strain is reaching critical levels," Scarlett warned, her scanner detecting fractures in reality itself. "If this continues, the convergence point will collapse into a temporal singularity."
"Meaning?" Vegeta demanded, even as he systematically dismantled a corrupted version of himself with ruthless efficiency.
"Meaning all timelines get compressed into a single point," Eleryc explained while simultaneously countering Cell's attempts to corrupt his Kai heritage. "No past, no future, just an eternal now of infinite possibility and infinite chaos."
"Then we end this quickly," Aiko declared, her enhanced physiology allowing her to push beyond normal limits as she engaged multiple Time Breakers simultaneously.
But Cell's intelligence had anticipated their desperation. As the Time Patrol and Z-Fighters fought with everything they had, the bio-android began implementing his true strategy.
"You still don't understand," Cell announced, his voice carrying across every battle simultaneously. "This convergence isn't happening to serve my plans. My plans are happening to serve the convergence."
With those words, Cell's body began to change. Not growing stronger in the conventional sense, but becoming more complex, more multidimensional. He was beginning to absorb not just energy but the very concept of existence from the colliding timelines.
"He's becoming a temporal parasite," Jinjer realized in horror. "Not just absorbing power, but absorbing reality itself."
"The convergence was never about bringing warriors together," Zero understood with dawning alarm. "It was about creating a feeding ground for something that consumes possibility itself."
As Cell's transformation accelerated, the arena began to warp. The boundaries between different versions of reality started to blur, creating a chaotic landscape where past, present, and future existed simultaneously.
"Emergency protocols," Zero commanded, his Temporal Architect powers struggling to maintain stability. "We need to separate the convergence points before he completes the absorption."
"How?" Scarlett demanded, her technology overwhelmed by the scale of the temporal distortion.
"By giving him a target too tempting to resist," Zero replied grimly. "Jinjer, Eleryc—you need to trigger Gohan's transformation now, regardless of historical accuracy."
"But if his power surge occurs in this unstable environment—" Eleryc began.
"It might destabilize Cell's absorption process," Jinjer finished, understanding the desperate gambit. "Or it might feed him enough power to complete his evolution into something beyond our ability to stop."
"Only one way to find out," Zero said, his form beginning to pulse with temporal energy. "Everyone else, maintain pressure on the Time Breakers. Keep them from reinforcing Cell."
As the plan crystallized, Gohan found himself at the center of a convergence that would determine the fate of all existence. His battle with his corrupted self had pushed him to emotional extremes, his suppressed power fluctuating wildly as righteous anger warred with careful control.
"Now, Gohan!" Jinjer called out, her divine ki creating a protective barrier around the young Saiyan. "Let your power flow! Show Cell what true strength means!"
The transformation began not as the historical response to Android 16's death, but as a conscious choice to protect everything that mattered. Gohan's aura exploded outward, golden energy shifting and evolving as his latent power finally achieved its true potential.
Super Saiyan 2 emerged not from loss, but from hope.
The convergence point shuddered as Gohan's transformed power crashed into Cell's absorption field. For a moment, the outcome balanced on a knife's edge—would Cell absorb this new power source, or would the pure nature of Gohan's transformation disrupt his parasitic evolution?
"It's working," Scarlett reported with amazement. "Gohan's power is too pure, too focused on protection rather than destruction. Cell can't process it without contaminating his own essence."
Cell's perfect features twisted in frustration as his absorption process began to falter. "Impossible. No power should be able to resist perfect efficiency."
"That's where you're wrong," Gohan said, his transformed voice carrying quiet authority. "Perfection isn't about having no flaws. It's about choosing to protect others despite your flaws."
The philosophical revelation struck Cell like a physical blow. His intelligence, enhanced beyond normal parameters, suddenly turned inward as he grappled with a concept his perfect design couldn't process.
"Error," Cell muttered, his form beginning to destabilize. "Error in base assumptions. Perfection redefinition required."
"Now!" Zero commanded. "While he's processing the contradiction!"
The combined assault of the Time Patrol and Z-Fighters struck Cell at his moment of maximum vulnerability. But instead of simple destruction, their coordinated attack was designed to do something far more sophisticated—separate him from the temporal convergence he had created.
"Dimensional severance in progress," Eleryc reported, his Kai abilities working in tandem with Zero's Temporal Architect powers. "Cutting his connection to the convergence points."
"Time Breaker army destabilizing," Aiko added as the corrupted warriors began to fade back to their original timelines. "Without Cell's anchor, they can't maintain cohesion in this reality."
"Convergence collapse imminent," Scarlett confirmed. "All timeline barriers reconstituting."
But Cell, even in his moment of defeat, retained enough intelligence for one final gambit. "If I cannot have perfection through absorption," he declared, his body beginning to swell with destructive energy, "then I will achieve it through annihilation."
The self-destruction sequence began, but this wasn't the historical Cell Games explosion. Enhanced by temporal energies and the residual power of the convergence, Cell's final attack threatened not just Earth but the stability of local space-time itself.
"Instant transmission won't work," Goku realized, his technique unable to lock onto a safe destination through the temporal distortions. "The explosion will follow us anywhere we go."
"Then we don't run," Gohan said with quiet determination. "We end it here."
The final battle wasn't a physical confrontation but a test of will and purpose. As Cell's explosion built toward critical mass, Gohan's transformed power focused not on destruction but on containment—creating a barrier that would hold the blast while the Time Patrol worked to stabilize the temporal damage.
"Kamehameha," Gohan whispered, his energy wave not attacking Cell but weaving around him, creating a cocoon of protective force that would contain the explosion's temporal effects.
The blast, when it came, was contained within layers of temporal shielding created by the combined efforts of the Time Patrol and Earth's greatest warrior. When the light faded, Cell was gone, the convergence was ended, and reality had stabilized into its proper flow.
But the cost of victory was immediately apparent.
"Temporal exposure complete," Scarlett reported quietly. "Every timeline, every possibility, every future we've protected now knows of our existence."
"Shadow operations are no longer possible," Zero acknowledged, his sealed form reconstituting as he contained his Temporal Architect powers once more. "We'll have to find new ways to protect history."
"Maybe that's not such a bad thing," Goku said with his characteristic optimism. "If there are threats big enough that you need help, maybe it's time to ask for it."
As the Time Patrol prepared to depart, their mission complete but their methods forever changed, they left behind a Dragon Ball timeline that was stronger for having faced its greatest challenge. The Z-Fighters had not just survived an encounter with forces beyond their understanding—they had proven themselves worthy allies in the protection of all existence.
The shadow war was over. The real war for the preservation of free will across all timelines was just beginning.
New Protocols
Three months later, the Time Patrol had established new operational parameters. Instead of shadow operations, they now worked as consultants and allies to various timeline's guardians. The exposure at the Cell Games had forced evolution, but it had also created opportunities.
"Status report," Zero requested as his team gathered for their first briefing under the new protocols.
"Timeline stability at ninety-seven percent," Scarlett reported. "The Cell Games convergence actually strengthened the barriers between realities. We're seeing fewer unauthorized crossings."
"Towa's activities?" Eleryc asked.
"Significantly reduced," Jinjer replied with satisfaction. "Without the ability to manipulate events from shadows, her strategies have had to become more direct—and therefore more detectable."
"The Z-Fighters have requested consultation on three separate temporal anomalies," Aiko added. "Apparently our exposure has made other timeline guardians more willing to ask for help."
Zero nodded approvingly. "Evolution through crisis. Perhaps Cell's challenge served a purpose after all."
As they prepared for their next mission—no longer as shadows but as acknowledged protectors—the Time Patrol reflected on how their greatest defeat had become their most important victory.
History would continue to need protection. But now, they wouldn't have to protect it alone.
Time Skip: Seven Years Later.....
The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament should have been a celebration of peace. Seven years had passed since Cell's defeat, seven years of relative quiet for Earth's defenders. Gohan, now a young man of sixteen, stood at the edge of the tournament grounds, his Great Saiyaman costume folded neatly in his bag as he prepared for what should have been a simple exhibition match.
"Gohan!" Goku's voice carried across the crowd as he approached with his characteristic grin. "Ready to show everyone what you've been up to?"
Before Gohan could respond, a familiar sensation washed over him—a subtle shift in the air that made his enhanced senses tingle with recognition. His eyes widened as he scanned the crowd, searching for faces he hadn't seen in seven years but could never forget.
"Dad," Gohan said quietly, his voice carrying an urgency that made Goku's expression grow serious. "They're here."
"Who's here?" Vegeta demanded, having overheard as he approached with his usual scowl intact.
"The Time Patrol," Gohan replied, his memories of their previous encounters flooding back. "I can sense them."
As if summoned by his words, five figures emerged from the crowd with the same casual confidence they had displayed during the Cell Games. Zero led the group, his sealed form still maintaining the appearance of restraint that had become his trademark. Behind him, Scarlett's scanner was already active, Jinjer's divine ki barely contained, Eleryc's Kai heritage evident in his posture, and Aiko's enhanced senses cataloging every detail of their surroundings.
"Well," Zero said with a slight smile as he approached the group of Z-Fighters, "it's been a while."
"Not long enough," Piccolo muttered, though his tone lacked real hostility. "What brings the shadow guardians back into the light?"
"Actually," Scarlett interjected, checking her readings, "we're not operating in shadows anymore. Thanks to the Cell Games convergence, our existence is now common knowledge among timeline guardians. We're here officially."
"Officially?" Krillin asked, his curiosity overcoming his nervousness. "As in, you're not going to disappear the moment we turn around?"
"Correct," Eleryc confirmed, his half-Kai heritage allowing him to sense the flow of temporal currents around them. "Though I'm afraid our visit isn't purely social. We've detected temporal disturbances centered around this tournament."
Gohan's expression grew troubled as fragments of memory aligned with current reality. "The other times we encountered you," he said slowly, "during the Saiyan invasion, when the androids first appeared, even small incidents over the years... you were always investigating temporal anomalies, weren't you?"
"Very perceptive," Jinjer acknowledged with approval. "You've grown considerably since our last official meeting."
"But why are you telling us this now?" Trunks asked, his experience with time travel making him particularly sensitive to temporal irregularities. "What's changed?"
"What's changed," Zero explained, his voice carrying the weight of recent experience, "is that we've learned the value of alliance over secrecy. The Cell Games taught us that some threats require cooperation rather than covert intervention."
Aiko stepped forward, her enhanced senses detecting something the others had missed. "More immediately, we're here because someone has been manipulating the timeline around this tournament. The emergence of Majin Buu isn't supposed to happen for several more years."
The revelation hit the assembled fighters like a physical blow. They had all sensed something wrong about recent events—the mysterious Babidi, the corruption of Vegeta, the strange acceleration of events that should have unfolded more gradually.
"Towa again?" Vegeta asked, his pride warring with practical concern.
"Not directly," Scarlett replied, her scanner displaying complex temporal patterns. "But her techniques are being used by someone else. Someone who learned from her mistakes at the Cell Games."
"The wizard Babidi," Zero identified grimly. "He's not just seeking to revive Majin Buu—he's using temporal manipulation to accelerate the process, drawing energy from alternate timelines where the revival has already occurred."
Gohan felt a chill of recognition. "That's why everything feels... wrong. Like we're being pushed toward a confrontation we're not ready for."
"Exactly," Eleryc confirmed. "The natural flow of events has been corrupted. Babidi is forcing a convergence between multiple timeline variations of the Buu revival, trying to create a version of the creature that incorporates the power of all possible incarnations."
"So we stop him," Goku said with characteristic simplicity. "Just like before."
"It's not that simple," Jinjer cautioned. "Unlike Cell, who was operating from a single timeline, Babidi's manipulations span multiple realities. We need to address not just the immediate threat, but the temporal corruption that enabled it."
"Which is why," Zero concluded, "we're asking for your help officially this time. The Time Patrol has the knowledge and tools to handle temporal manipulation, but you have something equally important—the right to defend your own timeline without our interference."
The philosophical implications weren't lost on any of them. For seven years, they had unknowingly been protected by guardians who operated from the shadows. Now, they were being asked to become conscious participants in that protection.
"What do you need from us?" Gohan asked, his transformation during the Cell Games having taught him the importance of conscious choice in wielding power.
"Your natural strength," Aiko replied immediately. "Temporal manipulation relies on corrupting the authentic flow of events. Your genuine responses to genuine threats can disrupt those manipulations."
"Plus," Scarlett added with a slight grin, "you're really good at punching things that need to be punched."
Despite the gravity of the situation, several of the Z-Fighters chuckled at the assessment.
"So what's the plan?" Vegeta demanded, his tactical mind already working through the implications.
"First, we need to understand the scope of Babidi's temporal manipulations," Zero explained. "He's not just accelerating the Buu revival—he's trying to create a version of events where Buu's power is enhanced by drawing energy from multiple timeline variations."
"Multiple Buus?" Krillin asked with obvious alarm.
"Worse," Eleryc corrected. "One Buu with the accumulated power and knowledge of every possible version of himself. A creature that would represent not just the threat from your timeline, but the combined threat of every reality where he successfully destroyed everything."
The tournament around them continued, the other participants and spectators blissfully unaware that the fate of multiple timelines was being decided in their midst. But for the combined forces of Earth's greatest warriors and the Time Patrol, the real fight was just beginning.
"Temporal anomaly detected," Scarlett announced, her scanner's readings spiking dramatically. "Babidi's beginning the final phase of his plan."
In the distance, a familiar pink figure began to emerge from what should have been a centuries-long regeneration process. But this wasn't the Majin Buu they were prepared to face. This creature pulsed with energies drawn from across the multiverse, its power signature unlike anything they had encountered before.
"Everyone stay close," Zero commanded, his sealed form beginning to show the first signs of strain as he prepared to confront temporal forces on a scale that dwarfed even the Cell Games convergence. "This fight is going to determine whether free will survives across all possible futures."
As the enhanced Majin Buu began to fully materialize, his presence warping reality around him, Eleryc and Jinjer exchanged a meaningful look.
"Temporal containment field," Eleryc announced, his Kai heritage allowing him to weave complex sealing techniques. "Now, Jinjer."
"Divine binding protocols activated," Jinjer confirmed, her reformed villain experience providing crucial insight into containing chaotic energies. Together, they created a shimmering barrier around the emerging threat.
"How long will that hold?" Zero asked, though he already knew the answer wouldn't be encouraging.
"Long enough for the tournament to proceed as it should," Eleryc replied, sweat beading on his forehead from the effort. "But once the natural timeline reaches the point where Babidi would normally begin his work, the seal will become unstable."
"Then we let history unfold," Goku said with understanding. "The tournament continues, we face whatever comes naturally, and when the time comes to deal with Babidi..."
"We'll be ready," Gohan finished, his maturity showing in his acceptance of the complex situation.
Zero nodded approvingly. "Scarlett, Aiko—monitor the containment field and track any additional temporal anomalies. The rest of us will maintain cover among the tournament participants. When events reach their natural progression point, we act."
As the Time Patrol members dispersed into the crowd, the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament resumed its natural course. The sealed Majin Buu remained frozen in temporal stasis, a pink figure caught between realities while the warriors who would eventually face him prepared through the crucible of honest competition.
The shadow war was over. The allied war for all existence would begin when the time was right.
Natural Progression
The tournament proceeded exactly as it should have. Goku's return to compete brought excitement and nostalgia, while Gohan's clumsy attempts to maintain his Great Saiyaman secret identity provided the expected comic relief. The Time Patrol members had seamlessly integrated themselves among the spectators, their presence undetectable to anyone not already aware of their nature.
"Temporal readings are stable," Scarlett reported quietly through her comm device, disguised as a simple earpiece. "The containment field is holding, and natural timeline progression remains intact."
From her position in the stands, she watched as the preliminary rounds unfolded. Goku faced off against a towering opponent with casual ease, while Vegeta dispatched his challenger with barely concealed boredom. The familiar rhythm of the tournament felt almost nostalgic after the cosmic threats they had been dealing with.
"Gohan's match is next," Aiko observed, her enhanced senses tracking the young Saiyan's nervous energy. "His power levels are fluctuating—he's trying to hold back without making it obvious."
"Let him handle it naturally," Zero advised from his position near the fighter's waiting area. "The tournament serves its purpose in the timeline. We intervene only when supernatural forces do."
As Gohan stepped into the ring, his opponent—a large, confident fighter who had no idea what he was facing—began his trash talk. The crowd cheered, completely unaware that one of the participants could destroy the planet with a stray energy blast.
"I've heard about you, kid," his opponent sneered. "Some fancy martial arts school champion. Well, let me show you what real fighting looks like!"
Gohan's response was perfectly in character—polite, humble, and completely unconvincing. "Oh, well, I'm really not that good. I just got lucky in my previous matches, and—"
The fight lasted exactly as long as Gohan wanted it to, which was approximately thirty seconds. His opponent found himself gently but firmly deposited outside the ring, conscious but thoroughly bewildered.
"Winner: Gohan!" the announcer declared to thunderous applause.
"Excessive restraint," Vegeta muttered to Goku as they watched. "The boy could have ended it in three seconds instead of thirty."
"He's trying to make it look natural," Goku replied with a grin. "Though I think he might be overthinking it."
"Natural timeline progression confirmed," Eleryc reported, his Kai abilities allowing him to monitor the flow of events. "All major participants are advancing as expected."
From the sealed Majin Buu, contained in its temporal prison, there was no response. The creature existed in a state of suspended animation, its multiversal power locked away until the moment when its natural emergence would occur.
"How's the containment holding up?" Jinjer asked quietly, her divine ki continuously reinforcing the sealing technique.
"Stable for now," Eleryc replied, though strain was evident in his voice. "But I can feel the temporal pressure building. When Babidi begins his natural summoning ritual, the confluence of energies will destabilize our containment."
"Then we'll be ready," Zero confirmed. "Continue monitoring. Alert me the moment you detect any sign of Babidi's approach."
The tournament continued through its natural progression. Goku and Vegeta both advanced easily, their sparring match during the preliminary rounds providing exactly the kind of spectacle the crowd had come for. The familiar faces of their friends and allies filled the stands, everyone enjoying what they assumed would be a peaceful competition.
"You know," Krillin said to 18 as they watched the matches, "it's nice to have a tournament that's actually just about martial arts for once."
Android 18 gave him a look that suggested she knew better than to tempt fate with such statements, but said nothing.
As the day progressed, the contestants were whittled down to the expected final participants. But as the afternoon sun began to sink toward the horizon, Scarlett's scanner began detecting the first signs of supernatural interference.
"Temporal anomaly detected," she announced quietly. "Multiple energy signatures approaching from the southwest. Configuration matches historical records for Babidi's ship."
"Natural timeline convergence beginning," Eleryc confirmed, his concentration on the containment field intensifying. "The sealed Buu is starting to resonate with the approaching summoning energies."
"Positions, everyone," Zero commanded. "The tournament is about to become something else entirely."
Sure enough, within minutes, the familiar yellow energy signatures of Babidi's minions began their assault on the tournament grounds. Spopovich and Yamu, enhanced by the wizard's magic, began their programmed mission to steal energy from the strongest fighters present.
"Right on schedule," Aiko observed with professional satisfaction. "Gohan's about to have a very bad day."
As the enhanced fighters launched their attack, targeting Gohan specifically for his massive power reserves, the Time Patrol maintained their positions. This was natural timeline progression—however unpleasant for the participants, it was necessary for the proper flow of events.
"Should we help him?" Scarlett asked, watching as Gohan was overwhelmed by opponents he could easily defeat if he were willing to reveal his true power.
"Not yet," Zero replied firmly. "This needs to happen. The energy drain will lead us to Babidi, and that's when our real work begins."
Gohan's pained cries as the energy extraction device did its work were difficult to listen to, but the Time Patrol held their positions. Sometimes protecting the timeline meant allowing its natural tragedies to unfold.
"Energy extraction complete," Eleryc reported as Spopovich and Yamu departed with their stolen power. "The containment field is beginning to fluctuate in response to the increased magical energy in the local area."
"How long until the seal fails?" Zero asked.
"Once Babidi begins the actual summoning ritual, maybe twenty minutes," Jinjer estimated. "The combination of the stolen energy and the natural summoning process will overload our temporal bindings."
"Then we follow them now," Zero decided. "The tournament phase is over. The real battle begins when we reach Babidi's ship."
As the Z-Fighters began their pursuit of Gohan's attackers, the Time Patrol prepared to emerge from the shadows once more. But this time, they would fight alongside Earth's defenders from the very beginning, their alliance forged in the crucible of the Cell Games and tempered by seven years of earned trust.
However, as they prepared to depart, Scarlett's scanner began detecting multiple additional anomalies manifesting around the tournament grounds.
"Zero," she called urgently, "we have a problem. The containment field destabilization is causing secondary temporal rifts. Multiple timeline variants are beginning to breach into this reality."
"What kind of variants?" Aiko asked, her enhanced senses detecting unusual energy signatures approaching rapidly.
"The kind that shouldn't exist together," Eleryc replied with growing alarm. "I'm reading Saiyan energy from individuals who aren't supposed to have it, and power levels from people who should be civilians."
The first breach materialized near the tournament medical tent, revealing a figure that made Gohan's eyes widen in shock. It was Videl—but not the Videl from his timeline. This version moved with the fluid grace of a seasoned warrior, her aura crackling with ki that rivaled some of the Z-Fighters.
"Gohan!" the alternate Videl called out, her voice carrying urgency. "The temporal barriers are collapsing! Babidi's summoning is pulling warriors from across the multiverse!"
"That's... that's Videl," Gohan stammered, "but she's..."
"A Z-Fighter," alternate Videl confirmed, landing beside him with perfect aerial control. "In my timeline, I convinced you to train me properly after the Cell Games. I've been fighting alongside the Earth's defenders for seven years."
Before anyone could process this revelation fully, more rifts began opening. From one emerged a woman with familiar spiky black hair and a power level that made Vegeta take a step back in surprise.
"Chi-Chi?" Goku asked in amazement, staring at his wife—or rather, a version of his wife whose aura blazed with unmistakable Saiyan energy.
"Hello, Goku," the Saiyan Chi-Chi replied with a warm smile that carried an edge of warrior's confidence. "In my timeline, I made a wish on the Dragon Balls to become a Saiyan so I could properly protect our family. I got tired of being left behind while you risked your life."
"You... wished to become a Saiyan?" Vegeta asked, his voice mixture of incredulity and reluctant respect.
"The Dragon Balls can grant any wish," Saiyan Chi-Chi replied simply. "I wished to have the power to stand beside my husband and son in battle. Shenron was quite accommodating."
Another rift opened, and from it stepped a figure that made the entire group tense—until they realized the tall Saiyan warrior approaching them was smiling with genuine warmth rather than malicious intent.
"Uncle Goku!" the figure called out, and Goku's jaw dropped as he recognized his brother Raditz—but a Raditz whose eyes held none of the cruelty or arrogance of the Saiyan who had once tried to destroy Earth.
"Raditz?" Goku whispered.
"In my timeline, your head injury as a child wasn't as severe," the good Raditz explained. "You retained enough Saiyan memory to convince me that Earth was worth protecting when I arrived. We've been fighting together ever since."
"And I see you brought family," Jinjer observed with amusement as another figure emerged from the same rift—a young woman with wild blue hair who moved with inherited Saiyan grace.
"This is my daughter, Launch," good Raditz said proudly, gesturing to the blue-haired young woman beside him. "Her mother is... well, you probably know Launch from your timeline."
"Launch had a daughter with Raditz?" Krillin asked weakly, trying to process the implications.
"Love works in mysterious ways," Launch replied with a grin that was equal parts her mother's mischief and her father's warrior pride. "Though Mom still sneezes into her blonde personality sometimes. Dad finds it endearing."
"Actually, it's Raunch," the blue-haired Saiyan corrected with a slight smile. "Dad chose the name—said it honored both sides of my heritage."
"Raunch," Goku repeated, testing the name. "It's good to meet you, niece."
"Uncle Goku!" Raunch said warmly, moving to embrace him. "I've heard so many stories about you from Dad. In our timeline, you two make quite the team."
She turned to greet the others, her Saiyan instincts allowing her to gauge each fighter's power level with practiced ease. When her eyes fell on Piccolo, her expression brightened considerably.
"Uncle Piccolo!" she called out, using the same familial address that Gohan had made famous. "How are little Sage and Harmony doing?"
Piccolo's stoic expression cracked with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Your children," Raunch explained matter-of-factly. "In my timeline, you have a son and daughter with Aunt Cassa. They're about my age now, and they're incredible fighters."
The silence that followed was deafening. Vegeta's face had gone completely white, his body trembling as he processed what he'd just heard.
"Cassa," he whispered, the name carrying twenty-five years of buried grief. "You said... Cassa is alive in your timeline?"
"Very much so," Raunch confirmed, her expression growing more serious as she recognized the impact of her words. "She escaped Planet Vegeta's destruction in a stolen pod, crash-landed on Earth about two years after Uncle Goku did. She and Piccolo... well, it took a while for them to connect, but when they did..." She shrugged with a teenager's casual acceptance of adult relationships.
"My sister," Vegeta said, his voice barely audible. "Cassa survived."
"Your sister was always the clever one," Raunch added gently. "Dad told me she figured out what Frieza was planning weeks before the planet's destruction. She tried to warn the royal family, but..."
"But our father was too proud to listen to warnings about retreat," Vegeta finished, his hands clenching into fists. "She always saw threats more clearly than the rest of us."
"Temporal cascade accelerating," Scarlett announced urgently, her scanner detecting new rifts opening by the dozen. "We need to move now before Babidi completes whatever he's planning."
As if summoned by her words, two familiar figures materialized near the group—Shin, the Supreme Kai, and his attendant Kibito, both looking considerably more harried than their usual composed selves.
"Time Patrol," Shin acknowledged with a nod to Zero's team. "I should have known you'd be involved when the dimensional barriers started failing."
"Supreme Kai," Zero replied formally. "We're dealing with temporal manipulation on a scale that threatens multiversal stability."
"Indeed," Shin confirmed grimly. "Babidi's ship isn't just drawing power from your timeline anymore—it's become a convergence point for magical energy from every reality where the Majin Buu revival occurred. We need to reach him before he completes the summoning."
"Then we go together," Goku declared, his voice carrying the authority of a natural leader. "All of us—Time Patrol, Z-Fighters, and all our new friends from other timelines."
"The combined power readings are extraordinary," Kibito observed, his ability to sense divine energy overwhelmed by the assembled warriors. "With this many fighters..."
"We might actually have a chance," Vegeta agreed, though his eyes kept drifting back to Raunch, as if she were a living connection to the sister he'd mourned for decades.
"Uncle Vegeta," Raunch said softly, recognizing his emotional state. "Aunt Cassa always wondered what happened to you. In our timeline, she never stopped looking for other Saiyan survivors."
"Perhaps," Vegeta replied with unusual gentleness, "when this is over, you can tell me more about her."
"I'd like that," Raunch agreed.
"Touching family reunion aside," alternate Videl interjected, her warrior instincts keeping her focused on the immediate threat, "we should move. Every minute we delay gives Babidi more time to complete his multiversal summoning."
"She's right," Saiyan Chi-Chi agreed, her maternal protectiveness now backed by warrior's pragmatism. "If this wizard is threatening multiple timelines, including the ones where our children exist, then we end this quickly."
The assembled group—Time Patrol, Z-Fighters, Supreme Kai, and their multiversal variants—began moving toward Babidi's ship with purpose. The sight of so many powerful warriors working together would have been inspiring under different circumstances.
"Energy readings are off the charts," Scarlett reported as they flew. "Babidi's ship is drawing power from at least two dozen different timeline variants of the Buu revival process."
"The containment field on our enhanced Buu is failing," Eleryc added with strain evident in his voice. "When it collapses completely, Babidi will have access to a creature that incorporates the power of every possible version of Majin Buu."
"Then we make sure he doesn't get the chance to use it," good Raditz declared, his reformed nature evident in his protective stance toward his daughter and newfound family.
As they approached the ship, the true scope of Babidi's plan became apparent. The vessel was surrounded by a swirling vortex of temporal energy, with glimpses of other realities visible through the distortions. In some, they could see versions of Earth where Buu had already been revived and was destroying everything. In others, the pink creature was even more powerful, having absorbed different combinations of fighters.
"This is it," Zero announced, his sealed form beginning to show cracks as he prepared for what might require his full Temporal Architect powers. "Everyone ready?"
"Ready as we'll ever be," Gohan replied, looking around at the assembled warriors—his girlfriend who had become a fighter, his mother who had become a Saiyan, his uncle who had become a hero, and cousins he'd never known existed.
"Let's go save the multiverse," Raunch said with the confident grin of youth, her Saiyan heritage and Launch's mischievous nature combining into something uniquely formidable.
The assault on Babidi's ship was about to begin, with stakes higher than any single timeline could contain.
But as the assembled group crested the final hill before Babidi's ship, they stopped short. Someone—or rather, someones—had apparently beaten them there.
"No way," Scarlett breathed, her scanner readings confirming what her eyes were seeing.
"The targets," Zero said quietly, his sealed form trembling with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "After all this time..."
Below them, engaged in combat with Babidi's forces, were six figures that the Time Patrol had been searching for across multiple timelines. The first was a young man with rich brown skin and fire-colored eyes that seemed to burn with inner intensity. His deep blue shoulder-length hair whipped around his face as he moved with fluid, deadly grace.
"Odyn Albanar," Eleryc identified, his Kai heritage allowing him to sense the temporal distortions surrounding the figure. "The primary target."
Beside him fought another young man, similar in appearance but with shorter hair that shifted between deep blue and lavender in the light. His movements mirrored his companion's but with subtle differences that spoke of individual training and personality.
"Roy—Thallion in the old tongue," Jinjer added, her reformed villain experience recognizing the tactical coordination between the brothers. "Secondary priority target."
A female warrior moved in perfect synchronization with the two males, her deep lavender and blue hair flowing like liquid color as she unleashed energy attacks that seemed to bend reality around them. Her resemblance to the first two was unmistakable—family.
"Sarai, their sister," Aiko confirmed, her enhanced senses detecting power levels that defied conventional measurement. "Tertiary target."
Near them, slightly older and carrying herself with the confidence of experience, another female fighter commanded the battlefield with strategic precision. Her appearance marked her as related to the siblings but distinct in her authority.
"Khanna—Seraphina," Scarlett read from her scanner, though the device was struggling to process the energy signatures. "Their cousin. Quaternary target."
The final two figures were the most striking of all—twins clad in gold and silver armor respectively, their pointed ears and shared eye color making them stand out even among this extraordinary group. The girl in gold armor moved like liquid fire, while the boy in silver armor seemed to command shadows themselves.
The final two figures were the most striking of all—twins clad in gold and silver armor respectively, their pointed ears and shared eye color making them stand out even among this extraordinary group. The girl in gold armor moved like liquid fire, while the boy in silver armor seemed to command shadows themselves.
"Hailfire and Baron," Zero concluded, his voice carrying years of searching and hoping. "The twins we thought were lost forever."
But as Zero's eyes swept the battlefield more carefully, he noticed a seventh figure he had initially missed—standing slightly apart from the others, younger than the rest, with an aura that made even the Supreme Kai take notice.
"Wait," Shin breathed, his divine senses recognizing something impossible. "That's... that can't be..."
The youngest member of the group moved with a grace that seemed to bend space around her. Her appearance clearly marked her as another Albanar sibling, but there was something else—something that made Eleryc's half-Kai heritage resonate with recognition.
"Lyra," Zero whispered, his sealed form trembling with the implications. "The youngest Albanar sibling. But she's..."
"Kai-born," Eleryc finished, his voice filled with awe and confusion. "I can sense it. She carries the divine essence, but how is that possible?"
"Seven targets, not six," Scarlett corrected, her scanner struggling to process readings that seemed to exist on multiple dimensional planes simultaneously. "And the youngest one is registering power levels that..." She paused, checking her readings again. "That exceed our measurement capabilities."
"Who are they?" Vegeta demanded, his tactical mind recognizing threats that registered beyond even his enhanced senses.
"The reason the Time Patrol exists," Zero replied grimly. "They're temporal refugees from a timeline that was completely destroyed. We've been searching for them for decades. But we never knew about Lyra's divine nature."
"A Kai among mortals," Shin observed, his Supreme Kai authority allowing him to perceive the unique nature of her existence. "But not just any Kai—she's something else entirely. Her divine essence is... ancient. Older than the current divine hierarchy."
"That would explain their ability to manipulate temporal forces so effectively," Kibito added, his understanding of divine power helping him process what they were seeing. "With a Kai's natural connection to universal order, she could serve as an anchor point for their temporal abilities."
As they watched, Lyra raised her hands, and the chaotic energies surrounding Babidi's ship began to stabilize into controlled patterns. Her brothers and cousins moved in perfect coordination with her guidance, their attacks now precisely targeted to contain rather than simply destroy.
"She's not just participating in the battle," Jinjer realized. "She's conducting it. Like a divine conductor orchestrating a cosmic symphony."
"But what are they doing here?" Aiko asked, her enhanced senses detecting the subtle changes in the temporal environment. "And why appear now, just as we've reached the convergence point?"
"Look at their target selection," good Raditz observed with tactical appreciation. "They're not trying to destroy everything—they're trying to preserve it. Every attack is calculated to minimize collateral damage to the timeline rifts."
Indeed, the seven figures were systematically neutralizing Babidi's forces while carefully maintaining the stability of the temporal convergence. Odyn's fire-colored eyes burned through enemy ranks but left the dimensional barriers intact. Thallion's temporal distortions aged only their enemies, preserving the natural flow of time around them.
Seraphina's strategic coordination ensured that each attack supported the others while Sarai's reality-bending powers created protective barriers around the civilian areas. The twins Hailfire and Baron moved in perfect synchronization, their gold and silver energies forming containment fields rather than destructive blasts.
And through it all, Lyra's divine presence served as the stabilizing force that allowed such precise control over chaotic temporal energies.
"They're trying to seal the convergence," Zero understood suddenly. "But not by destroying it—by healing it. Restoring proper temporal flow while preserving all the timeline variants that have been pulled through."
"A divine solution," Shin acknowledged with something approaching reverence. "Only someone with Kai heritage could attempt something so ambitious."
"But if they collapse it while the enhanced Buu is still contained..." Scarlett began.
"Lyra's divine nature changes everything," Eleryc interrupted, his understanding of Kai abilities providing crucial insight. "She's not trying to destroy the containment—she's trying to purify it. Separate the artificial enhancements from the natural Majin Buu while preserving the timeline integrity."
"They've seen us," Raunch observed, her Saiyan instincts reading the subtle change in the battlefield dynamics.
Indeed, Lyra's divine senses had detected their presence, and her ancient eyes—far older than her youthful appearance suggested—locked onto the assembled group with an expression of complex recognition.
"They know who we are," Zero realized. "But more than that—they've been waiting for us."
As the seven temporal refugees completed their precise dismantling of Babidi's operation, the questions multiplied. What was a divine being doing among temporal refugees? How had they survived the destruction of their entire timeline? And most importantly—what did their appearance at this crucial moment mean for the fate of all realities?
The moment of truth had arrived. The Time Patrol's decades-long search was about to end, but whether in reunion or confrontation remained to be seen.
To be continued in Chapter 9: First Contact