Not many things could wake Son Goku from his almost comatose-like slumber, but one sure fire solution would always do the trick which is why it didn’t surprise Chi-Chi when her husband came barrelling into the room as the smell of breakfast filled the air. The princess turned housewife was quick to set the heaping amounts of grub on the table from her eagerly waiting partner, knowing if she were a second late he might start eating the table itself. Goku grinned brightly as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation; as always everything looked amazing, he could feel his mouth watering. Usually he would have already tore through his food by now but with Goten visiting Trunks during their break from school he didn’t have to compete against anyone. It had been forever since he was really able to savor his meals so he was going to take his time. The Saiyan was about to dig in when he heard a knock at the door.
“Who could that be,” Chi-Chi pondered as she looked up from the mountain of dishes in the sink. Her brows furrowed in frustration when she noticed that Goku hadn’t even acknowledged the door. She rolled her eyes, typical. “Goku,” Chi-Chi chided harshly, making the warrior wince, “Will you please answer the door?”
Goku looked like he was on the verge of tears, “But Chi-Chi…” He quickly stopped his whining when he caught a glimpse of the infamous glare of his wife, knowing he was one word away from getting a wok slammed across his skull. Solemnly, Goku rose from the table and trudged over to the door. He pulled open the door but was surprised to find no one there. Just when the confused Saiyan was about to shut it, he heard someone clear their throat. “Huh, what the,” Goku muttered as he looked down to find a young girl standing in front of him, “Uh, do I know you?”
The young girl seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t quite recall where he had seen her before. Her black hair was cut short and wrapped with an orange headband of some kind, but something about those stern eyes seemed very reminiscent of… nope, still nothing. “Who’s at the door dear,” asked Chi-Chi from the kitchen.
"I was just about to ask the same thing," replied a befuddled Goku before turning his attention back to the strange girl, "Are you lost little girl?"
The child's sour expression seemed to worsen at the question, "This is the house of Son Goku isn't it?" Goku nodded in response, now even more confused than before. This girl seemed to know him, yet for the life of him he still couldn't remember where he had seen her before if at all.
Chi-Chi, by now having long run out of patience, came to see what the fuss was about, "Look sweetheart, whatever you're selling we're not buying."
Red began to fill the young girl's cheeks as she began to shake in anger. With a frustrated cry, the mysterious youth planted her foot on the ground, the force of the stomp shaking the earth beneath them. "Son Goku, you are under arrest," she confidently proclaimed as she pointed proudly at the floored Saiyan warrior. A pregnant silence hung in the air as the married couple tried to process what the hell was going on. A broad smile spread across the young girl's face, clearly proud of her impressive display, "I'll go easy on you if you come quietly, wouldn't wanna rough you up too bad."
Her smile faded, however, when she was met with an admonishing finger from Chi-Chi, "It's not nice to play jokes on grown ups."
"Oh, is that what that was," added Goku, his face brightening up at the realization, "Did Goten put you up to this?" That had to be the explanation: she was a friend of Goten's, that's why she looked so familiar. At least, that would make the most sense, but something about her just didn't sit right.
Cheeks now flushing red, the unknown visitor pouted, "This isn't a joke! I'm taking you in by order of the Time Patrol!"
"Time Patrol? Is that some kinda cartoon you kids are watching now," Goku asked in amusement.
Suddenly, the girl dropped into a fighting stance, her face now a hardened mask of determination, "I have been authorized to use force if necessary and trust me: you wouldn't want that." Both Goku and Chi-Chi were taken back, not by her sudden aggression but rather the stance she took. There was no mistaking the Turtle School's influence though it seemed like it shared elements with others that were also eerily familiar. They were so enraptured in thought that they didn't notice the girl's rushing attack until Goku instinctively sidestepped it. Whoever this kid was, she was well beyond the capabilities of a normal Earthling. Even her ki felt familiar, almost like…
Ducking a wild kick very reminiscent of his daughter-in-law's, Goku quickly maneuvered behind her and sent her flying with a firm palm strike to the back. She steadied herself in midair after being hurled a few dozen feet away from the house. The Saiyan warrior studied the young fighter with even more suspicion. Whoever this girl was, she was no slouch; if he hadn't taken her seriously, Goku could have been knocked out cold with a well placed hit. Another charge from his attacker ripped him away from his thoughts, her rapid fire punches catching him off guard. Despite the strangeness of the situation, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t having fun fending off the overzealous youth.
Her technique, though rough around the edges, was solid and as the fight continued, Goku could notice her instinctively correcting her own mistakes. If she wasn’t trying to punch a hole into his skull, the girl could have made an excellent student. Roaring in frustration, the mysterious fighter released all of her power as gusts of wind threatened to sweep away the entire mountain range. Goku gasped inwardly, there was no mistaking that ki now, it could only be–
“Pan that’s enough!”
Everyone turned their attention to the direction of the voice just in time to see a young man with dark spiky hair appear out of the trees. “P-Pan,” both Goku and Chi-Chi asked in astonishment as they reeled around to face the mysterious girl. But it was impossible. Pan wasn’t even half that girl’s age, there was no possible way it could be their granddaughter. However, the evidence was there: her looks, her abilities, her fighting style, it all pointed to at least her potentially being Pan.
The girl pouted, “Goten, you said I could handle it myself!”
The couple whipped back around to face the new stranger, their collective minds reeling at these revelations, “Goten!?”
The young man–”Goten”--stepped forward toward the couple, an embarrassed expression spreading across his face. “You weren’t supposed to know that,” he explained, shooting a glare at Pan who chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry Dad… but you’re gonna have to come with us.”
It was safe to say that Goku was reeling from the whirlwind of a morning he was having. He could hardly comprehend the reveal of this strange girl being his granddaughter all grown up somehow before this stranger claiming to be his son appeared from nowhere. To make matters worse, his breakfast was getting cold! “Now hold on a minute, you expect us to believe that you’re my darling Goten,” asked an irate Chi-Chi, her accusing gaze closely examining the young man, “He couldn’t even reach your waist!”
Goten put his hands up defensively, even as an adult his mother could strike a guttural fear into him, “I know this is strange, trust me I’m just as weirded out as you.” His expression hardened as he turned his attention to Goku, “Even so, Son Goku… you are under arrest for stealing a Scroll of Eternity.”
“Huh,” Goku exclaimed in confusion, pointing to himself, “Are you sure you’ve got the right guy? Believe it or not, there’s a lotta guys that look like me.”
Goten nodded solemnly, wishing he was given any other assignment than this one. Before anyone could protest, a strange light began to engulf the three Saiyans. In a blink of an eye, they vanished into thin air much to Chi-Chi’s dismay. Scrambling inside, the panicked homemaker rushed to her phone to call the only person who could make sense of this fiasco.
-Capsule Corp-
“Waitwait– calm down Chi-Chi,” said an exasperated Bulma, keeping her phone at an arm’s length as her friend on the other end was screaming at the top of her lungs, “You said who took Goku?”
“What’s the clown got himself into now,” grumbled Vegeta groggily as he entered the kitchen, Chi-Chi’s cries waking him halfway across the house.
Bulma’s brow knitted in confusion as she turned to her husband, “She says someone claiming to be Goten and Pan just arrested Goku, but that’s not possible he’s still upstairs.” Bulma winced as deafening shouts roared from her phone, “Ok ok, if you insist we’ll make sure.” With a heavy sigh, Bulma trudged up to Trunks’ room to find the pair of boys sleeping soundly as she expected. “I dunno what to tell you Chi-Chi,” Bulma shrugged, “He isn’t even awake yet, let alone twice his size.”
“Woman, you better get down here,” Vegeta called from downstairs.
Bulma groaned in frustration, she hadn’t even made her morning coffee and she was already being pulled in every direction. Marching her way back to the kitchen, she tried hard not to pop a blood vessel, “If you’re looking for breakfast, now is not the ti–” Her voice got caught in her throat once she discovered what was so urgent: her son, several years older than he should be with a worried expression. Bulma brought the phone to her ear, not taking her eyes away from the future Trunks, “I’ll call you back.”
The older Trunks smiled awkwardly, “Hello Mother… Father.”
“T-Trunks… how’re you… why’re you,” Bulma tried to speak but she was lost for words. It didn’t take long before her shock turned into worry; when this Trunks showed up, trouble always followed.
Vegeta shared her sentiment, cutting right to the chaste, “Not that we don’t appreciate the visit, but I doubt you’re here for a social call.”
“I’m sure you’ve learned about Goku by now,” replied Trunks, “but if we don’t hurry, he won’t be the only one in danger.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on,” Bulma asked, too afraid of the answer.
Trunks swallowed dryly, sweat beading his brow, “Someone is trying to destroy all of time and space.”
-Krillin's Residence-
Krillin wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming but he was positive that what Bulma was telling him over the phone didn’t make a lick of sense. With talk of Goku being arrested, time travel and multiple Trunks’, the martial artist was wondering if the scientist had finally lost it. A knock on the door tore his attention from his rambling friend, “Hold on Bulma, gotta get this.” Happy to escape the mind boggling conversation, Krillin rushed to answer the door. Just when he thought his day couldn’t get any weirder, Krillin felt his heart drop when he pulled it open to reveal a face thought long gone. It had been years since he last saw him, but there was no mistaking that stern stare, “16?”
The massive android didn’t reply, he didn’t even move. Without a shred of emotion, 16 uttered a phrase that made Krillin’s blood run cold, “Initiating self destruct sequence.”
To be continued…
