Of the enemies Trunks had warned them about, the battles against the Androids, Metal Cooler, Broly, and Hatchiyack had finally come to an end.
Bojack had also been dealt with in the crossfire, meaning Earth would likely be free from major threats for a while. Formidable foes like Babidi's faction and Hirudegarn weren't scheduled to appear for another seven years, so the planet had entered a period of relative peace. Since Broly had been completely atomized, there would be no surprise reappearances or the birth of a Bio-Broly in this timeline.
Essentially, as long as they prevented the resurrection of Majin Buu, only Hirudegarn remained as a primary concern.
...Actually, if the balance between the Other World and the living world was as fragile as history suggested, Janemba was likely a factor as well. Lisette made a mental note to stop by the Other World eventually to report the celestial staff's negligence to King Yemma. With a bit of luck, she could prevent that disaster before it even began.
"And with that, the only enemies likely to visit Earth in the future are Babidi's group seven years from now, and the phantom Majin, Hirudegarn. Everyone, you truly did a wonderful job."
Lisette offered words of praise to Goku and the others as they aggressively polished off a massive feast. While Earth wasn't entirely out of the woods, they had weathered a monumental storm. To celebrate, she was treating them to a spread from the Lookout's kitchens—though at the rate they were eating, she suspected the entire pantry would vanish into their bottomless stomachs.
Fortunately, the Lookout had gardens for growing vegetables, and with a bit of Lisette's ki, fruit trees would bear a harvest almost instantly. Food was never a concern. Besides, Lisette herself lived off the life energy she drew from the sun and the Earth via her pseudo-Spirit Bomb technique, so she didn't actually need to eat.
That technique—Xenoverse—had proven to be a double-edged sword. As long as she didn't push it to its maximum output, it was perfectly safe. However, using its full power risked another descent into a berserk, divine trance. Lisette had officially decided to seal its maximum potential away, reserving it only for the most dire circumstances.
"No, Lisette. There's still one vital piece of business left," Trunks said, his appetite much smaller than his fellow Saiyans. He cast a sharp look at the floor.
There sat Cell, bound by rings of ki, surrounded by Yamcha and Nappa.
"Start talking, Cell. What did you mean by the 'true correction of history'? And who exactly is this 'Demigra' you were screaming about?"
"...Fine. My plan has ended in failure anyway," Cell replied, a resigned smirk playing on his lips. "Revealing everything now changes nothing. Though, truthfully, there isn't much to tell."
He opened his eyes, but they were hollow. No ambition, no hope, not even a trace of the future remained in them. He had realized that his master plan—a scheme he had bet everything on—was a fragile, childish fantasy that never stood a chance of succeeding. He had been a puppet dancing for a plan destined to fail. Understanding that had drained him of any will to resist.
"As I told you before, my original purpose—the assassination of Goku—was removed by your future self. Thus, I made my own purpose: to protect you and strike down your enemies. But I failed to achieve that, and I wasn't even given the chance to try."
"Yes, I know that much," Lisette said. "But the logic doesn't hold. Even if you protected the 'me' of this timeline, it wouldn't save the 'me' of your future. You wanted to save a different Lisette. I've never understood why you bothered coming to the past at all if that was your goal."
"..."
"I wasn't the one you wanted to protect. Isn't that right?"
"Correct, Mother. I did not come to this era merely to play bodyguard."
Lisette didn't feel any disappointment at his answer. To be honest, she had suspected as much for a long time. There had been a lingering inconsistency in his story. Even if they were technically the same person, the branching timelines of this world meant the future she and the past she were distinct entities. Saving one did nothing for the other. There had to be another objective; his vow to protect her was merely a convenient cover.
"A man appeared before me," Cell continued.
"A man?"
"Yes. Crimson hair swept back into three jagged points, wearing blue robes. He had skin as pale as a corpse and carried a staff topped with a skull. He called himself Demigra—the Demon God who rules over time."
"Demon God Demigra..."
Lisette felt a wave of confusion. The name meant nothing to her. Despite her knowledge of every movie, game, and even the events of GT, she couldn't find a single record of a "Demigra." Was he a character from some obscure overseas spin-off?
"He told me that if I altered the 'Scrolls of the Beginning and the End,' a true correction of history was possible. Not a parallel world, but a fundamental change that would rewrite my original timeline."
"The Scrolls... of the Beginning and the End..."
"But he also warned me of a great obstacle. He said the Supreme Kai of Time would notice and send her Time Patrollers after us."
Time Patrollers? What is this, a cosmic police force? Lisette thought, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. The fundamental laws of the world she thought she knew were crumbling, but she signaled for him to continue.
"To counter them, we needed an absolute power. Our plan was to guide you into the divine realm. Once you were invincible, I would take you back to my future's past and trigger the change. That was the only way to truly save my world. That was my only wish."
"..."
"But that path is closed to me now. I have nothing left. Go ahead—kill me. You have every right."
Cell hung his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the end. He had laid his soul bare; he was ready to be discarded. But Lisette had no intention of killing him. The desire simply wasn't there. He had used her, and he had caused her to attack her friends, but his core motive had been an attempt to save the future version of her. He had been a monster acting out of a twisted, desperate love.
Vegeta lunged forward, shouting, "I'll kill you just like you asked!" but Lisette held up a hand to stop him. She took a step toward Cell.
"Cell. Even if the past cannot be changed, there is still a way to save your future."
"I've heard those platitudes before. 'Don't look back, live for the future.' Spare me. I cannot move forward in a dead world."
"I'm not talking about philosophy. I'm saying there is a physical way to rescue your timeline from despair."
"What?"
A flicker of light returned to Cell's eyes. He was listening. What Lisette was about to tell him was information she had hoped to keep secret. Relying on it was dangerous, and the consequences of meddling further with the cosmos were unknown. but seeing how far he had gone—reaching even for forbidden demonic aid—she felt he deserved a genuine lifeline.
"Long ago, centuries before your time, a climate shift devastated Planet Namek. You know this, of course."
"Yes. It's why the original Guardian of Earth came to this planet."
"The Grand Elder of Namek once told me that the Guardian wasn't the only one to escape. A man named Lord Slug and several others of the Dragon Clan were scattered across the universe."
"!"
Cell's expression shifted instantly. The possibility that Namekians still lived somewhere in the universe—even in his future—offered something he hadn't dared to hope for: new Dragon Balls.
"I won't tell you where they are, and there's no guarantee they can still create the Orbs. But it's a lead worth following, isn't it?"
"Why... why aren't you killing me?"
"Because your mistakes were born from my own naivety. I'd be lying if I said I didn't resent you for what happened, but I know where the blame truly lies."
Cell bit his lip and looked away. For nearly a minute, silence reigned in the hall. Finally, he spoke in a low, humbled voice.
"Release me. Please."
Lisette sensed no more malice in him. She chose to trust her instinct and dissolved the rings of ki.
"Thank you."
Cell stood up slowly, but instead of walking away, he immediately dropped to one knee. He bowed his head low before her. Lisette blinked, unable to read his intent.
"This is my vow. For as long as I remain in this era, I will be your ally. I will never betray you again."
"You plan to stay here?"
"I could say I want a chance to atone... but let us be honest. Information is hard to come by in my desolate future, especially regarding the deep reaches of space. I will stay in this world, gather the information I need to locate the Namekians, and then return to my home."
Cell looked up and gave her a sharp, predatory smirk. It was a brazen, arrogant look—the look of the Cell she knew. He was essentially telling her that while he would be her ally, he was also going to use this timeline for his own benefit.
Lisette sighed and shrugged. That stubborn, opportunistic streak... that's definitely Goku's cells talking.
But it felt more "right" than his previous gentlemanly facade. An alliance based on mutual calculation felt more stable than one based on unexplained loyalty. It was a very "Lisette" way to handle things.
"Fine. I permit you to stay in this era."
If he was going to use her, she would use him. They had threats coming in seven years, and she fully intended to work him to the bone when the time came. He had pledged himself to her; now he was an asset. It was a relationship that finally made sense.
+++
While some stayed, others had to leave.
Unlike Cell, Trunks informed the group that his time in the past had come to an end. He had a mother waiting for him and a world that was still being rebuilt. He was the protector of that future, and he had to return to it. Furthermore, there was the lingering threat of Bio-Broly—a monster that was likely still growing in his timeline. He had to stop it.
On the day of his departure, everyone gathered in front of Capsule Corporation.
"Trunks, you'll come back in seven years, won't you?" Gohan asked, looking like he was clinging to hope.
"No, I don't think I will," Trunks replied with a gentle shake of his head. "I believe this world will be just fine without me. Besides, in seven years, the 'me' of this era will be grown up. Having two of us around would just be confusing."
"But..."
"I don't think this is a permanent goodbye, though." Trunks laughed, looking at his friends. "I'm certain that the 'other me' who appeared to save Lisette was really me. Not some alternate version, but me from further down my own timeline. I think we'll meet again... when I'm a lot stronger."
There was no sadness in his voice. He was confident in the future. He turned to Turles.
"Trunks. I only saw him for a second, but that man with you... I'm sure it was Bardock, my master and Goku's father. It might be wishful thinking, but if you ever see him again, tell him his 'idiot student' is waiting to punch him in the face."
"Hahaha! I'll be sure to tell him."
Trunks shook hands with everyone—a long, lingering grip with Gohan, a firm nod to Piccolo, and then Goku, Turles, Tien, Yamcha, Nappa, Chiaotzu, and Krillin. He even shared a brief, silent smile with Vegeta.
"Everyone, I believe in you. I know you'll never lose to fate."
"Yeah!" Goku chirped. "We'll be fine. Whatever comes, we won't lose. You just take care of things in your future. Go kick that Bio-Broly's butt!"
"I will! Knowing there might be Namekians out there gives me a new kind of hope. I'm going to make my world as peaceful as this one."
Trunks climbed into the time machine. He was no longer a boy running from despair; he was a warrior returning to his duty. He looked out at the group one last time—at the friends he had fought beside, the mentors he had learned from, and the father he had finally come to understand. He pressed the ignition and vanished from the era.
An hour later, as the group dispersed and even Vegeta and Bulma went back inside, a small, pink-skinned girl appeared in the empty courtyard.
"Hey, you! You're the one! You're the idiot who keeps jumping back and forth and messing up the history books!"
"Huh? Who... who are you?" Trunks stammered, his time machine stalling as he arrived back in his future.
"I'm the Supreme Kai of Time! I manage the flow of the universe! You're coming with me to Toki Toki City right now!"
"WHAAAAAAAT?!"
Vegeta and the others had no idea that Trunks's true battle was only beginning. The reunion would happen much sooner than anyone expected.
Data Archive
Bio-Broly: In the original movies, he is a clone of Broly. In the future timeline, he is a massive threat, but with the knowledge of his weakness to seawater and Trunks's new power, he is manageable.
The "Demon God": Demigra is the main antagonist of Dragon Ball Xenoverse. His goal is to destroy the Time Vault and become a true God of Time.
The New Team: With Trunks gone, Cell has effectively filled the "Future Warrior" slot in the Z-Fighters, turning the group into a collection of increasingly morally gray powerhouses.
Current Status
Lisette: Restoring her status as Guardian and keeping a close eye on the "interrogated" Cell.
Future Trunks: Recruited into the Time Patrol (Post-Bio-Broly).
World Status: Peace achieved... for now.
***
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