The battlefield didn't look like a battlefield anymore.
It looked like the aftermath of a god[Me], throwing a tantrum.
OOPS.
Cracked earth stretched for miles in every direction, jagged stone frozen mid-collapse like time itself had flinched. Smoke drifted lazily through the air, curling around broken mountains and scorched cliffs. The wind carried the smell of ozone, and burned metal.
Krillin moved first, as he thinks the battle wasn't over.
Shaking hands, still breathing hard, he reached into the small pouch at his side and began handing out senzu beans like a medic on autopilot.
One to Piccolo.
One to Tien.
One to Trunks.
Vegeta hesitated, but his pride lost to pain, and he snatched one without a word, crunching it between his teeth.
I stood off to the side, arms crossed, shirt ripped to hell, skin still warm from burned fabric and the smell of melted metal.
I think that was probably what pissed Vegeta off.
He swallowed the bean, and the moment the healing surged through him, he moved.
I didn't even have time to blink, as i landed.
Suddenly, I was airborne, slammed backward against the cliff, as Vegeta grabbed my collar with one hand and lifted me clean off the ground. The fabric of my torn shirt strained under his grip, threads popping.
Veins bulged along his forehead and neck, eyes burning with fury that had nowhere left to go.
"You," he growled, teeth clenched so tightly I could hear them grind. "How did you get this strong?"
The place went quiet.
Krillin froze mid-step.
Trunks sucked in a sharp breath.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed.
Vegeta's grip tightened. My feet dangled uselessly above the ground, dust falling from my boots.
I looked down at him.
And smiled.
A smug, absolutely punchable grin.
"Oh," I said casually, voice dripping with mockery, "You see, I am no ordinary human."
The brow on Vegeta's temple twitched.
"I am," I continued, puffing my chest slightly despite being choked, "I am the legendary Super Human spoken of only in whispers. Feared by legends. Admired by..."
Vegeta roared.
His aura flared violently, golden sparks snapping through the air. The pressure spiked so suddenly that loose rocks lifted off the ground around us.
"I WILL KILL YOU..."
A green hand clamped down on Vegeta's wrist.
"Enough."
Piccolo stood beside us, his grip iron-hard, expression flat but dangerous.
"Let him go," Piccolo said. "Now."
Vegeta snarled, eyes flicking to Piccolo, then back to me. For a moment, I thought he might actually blast us both out of spite.
Then he shoved me backward and released my collar.
I landed on my feet, stumbling only slightly, still grinning.
Vegeta turned away with a sharp scoff.
I dusted off my ruined shirt. "Aw, did i hurt his feelings."
Krillin yelled loudly. "STOP TRYING TO PISS HIM OFF, WE HAVE ENOGHT PROBLEMS…"
"dam, sorry" i said.
.....
"Uh… excuse me."
The voice was hesitant.
I turned.
Trunks stood a few steps away, posture tense but curious. His eyes weren't on Vegeta anymore.
They were on me.
"You… who are you again ?" he asked.
I straightened and gave him a polite bow. "Ben. Just Ben."
He blinked.
Then scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Huh. I don't… I don't think I remember you."
Vegeta snorted from nearby. "Of course you don't. He's irrelevant."
"Keep crying, Pirnce of Nothing" i mocked.
Trunks ignored him, brow furrowing. "I know everyone who fights in my time. Everyone who in my timeline, at least. But you're not… you're not there."
I tilted my head. "That's a problem?"
"No," Trunks said slowly. "It's just… if you're here now, then maybe your in my future too…"
Hope flickered across his face before he could stop it.
"…maybe my future isn't so doomed."
The words hung in the air.
Vegeta stiffened.
His jaw tightened, lips curling into a scowl. "Don't be stupid. The future is weak because everyone was weak, he probably died in a trash can somewhere."
Trunks down in despair.
Then he scoffed loudly, crossing his arms.
I stepped in before the tension snapped again.
"Hey," I said, clapping my hands once. "Future boy."
Trunks looked at me.
"If you're worried about those androids?" I nodded toward the scorched horizon where 17 had fallen. "I've got good news."
"what's stopping me form, i don't know, training you", i said.
Trunks' eyes widened. "You mean it"
"I mean," I said, leaning back casually, "in this timeline, they're done for."
Vegeta scoffed again. "Don't fill his head with nonsense."
I turned to Vegeta. "Shut it, Prince boy."
Then I looked directly at Trunks.
"But if you're still worried about your timeline…" I smiled, sharp and confident. "I could and CAN train you."
Trunks froze.
"…Why?"
I stepped closer. "Your future's androids. You said they wiped out everything, right?"
He nodded slowly.
"I can't fix your timeline directly," I continued. "But I can make sure you don't lose again."
Vegeta barked a laugh. "You? Train a Saiyan?"
I glanced sideways at him. "what.. your going to train him, and unlock SUPER DUPER SAIYAN"
Krillin coughed to hide a laugh.
Trunks stared at me, hope and disbelief warring across his face. "You really think you could help me get strong enough?"
I met his eyes.
"when i'm done with you, you'll be a GOD among men."
Trunks smiled.
Ben's power level: 300,901 x [god ki x175,010,000]