Tapion was just sitting there, trying not to fall asleep.

Although it's hard, it got easier, somehow.

"Woah... What happened here?"

Tapion heard the voice and looked towards the hole Hirudegarn made last night.

It was Trunks again, carrying a tray of milk and sandwiches.

"You're okay! Great!" He said.

Tapion glared at Trunks, giving him an angry look.

"...It's breakfast!" Trunks said, chuckling.

He set it down on a large stone.

"I'll leave it here... I made these sandwiches myself..." He said.

Tapion seemed indifferent.

No response, so...

"...Later, then." Trunks said.

---

It was the end of the school day.

The bell rang, hallways were crowded, and people were getting ready to go home or to go to a club.

Gohan was at his locker, grabbing the few books he needed...

Then, suddenly-

"-Surprise!" Fluttershy said, tackle hugging the guy in the side.

"Oh, hey...?" Gohan said.

"Did you take a page out of Pinkie's book?" He asked.

"No..." Fluttershy said, pulling away.

"I just wanna show my friend how much I like him..." She said, blushing slightly.

"That's very kind of you." Gohan said, missing the point.

He closed his locker.

'...I have gravely overestimated him. That was so obvious!' Fluttershy thought.

'...Wait, he might think I'm interested in someone else...' She thought.

"Um... Do you want to go to Sugarcube Corner?" She asked.

"If you'd like. Sounds like a good idea." Gohan said.

---

Well, there they are.

Just the two of them at a table, sipping on chocolate shakes.

The store was mostly empty.

"Thanks for buying these..." Fluttershy said.

"It's nothing." Gohan said, smiling at her.

"How do you think Tapion's doing?" Fluttershy asked.

"Trunks is feeding him, so at least he's eating." Gohan said.

"That's good..." Fluttershy said.

"Did you hear about the attacks yesterday?" She asked.

Gohan lost his smile.

"...Unfortunately..." He said.

"No... Were you there?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's literally right beside Tapion's hideout. I happened to be there, and... Let's just say Hoi wasn't kidding about a monster." Gohan said.

"You kicked it's butt, right...?" Fluttershy asked.

"As much as I'd like to say that... I managed to make it trip." Gohan said.

"Also... It was half of a body." He added.

"What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.

"It was literally just legs and a tail. I don't even know how it existed, but it looked like it was missing it's upper half." Gohan said.

"Plus, Tapion... I really don't know what he did, but he managed to make the beast disappear." He said.

"So he is a hero..." Fluttershy said.

"I have a terrible feeling that won't be the last encounter..." Gohan said.

'Earth is in great peril... Tapion, Hoi... What are you two hiding?' He thought.

"Well, I can rest easy knowing you're here to save the day." Fluttershy said.

"Oh, uh... That's nice of you..." Gohan said, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm at ease knowing you and your magic can probably outdo any of my efforts." He said.

"I know the magic of friendship is strong... But nothing can beat you!" Fluttershy said.

Gohan chuckled.

"What's with the compliments?" He asked.

"...Should I stop?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm not complaining, but you've been doing it a lot more recently..." Gohan said.

"Maybe I'm just preparing." Fluttershy said.

'...you for the inevitable.' She thought.

"...for that guy you like?" Gohan asked.

'Oh, no...' Fluttershy thought.

"No! I mean- yes, but- No!" She stuttered.

"...Which is it?" Gohan asked.

"You know what? Yeah, you could say it's for that." Fluttershy said, winking.

"...I don't follow." Gohan said.

Fluttershy sighed.

'How...?' She thought.

"I'm happy to help you practice and all, but I think you have to compliment that guy and not me." Gohan said.

"Help me another way, then..." Fluttershy said.

'If I'm complimenting you, who do you think it is!?' She thought.

'I don't know whether to be happy or not about his cluelessness.' She thought.

"Okay..." Gohan said.

"What can I do to build up confidence...?" Fluttershy asked.

"Uh..." Gohan said.

"I mean, you never back down, even when death stares you in the face, so..." Fluttershy said.

"Confidence doesn't guarantee anything- All it does is make yourself feel good about doing something. If you're scared about doing something, just do it if it won't hurt." Gohan said.

"But... What if it can go two ways...?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're fearing worse than the worst. The worst he can say is no, nothing else." Gohan said.

"I don't know if I can even say it..." Fluttershy said.

"You're most likely going to regret it later in life. Things could be drastically different if you don't speak up." Gohan said.

"...Well, maybe you're right." Fluttershy said.

"You always know the right answer... You're so smart." She said.

"Well, you're too kind." Gohan said.

"Perfect in every regard." He said.

"D-Do you really think so...?" Fluttershy asked, blushing.

'Maybe there is hope after all!' She thought.

"Totally! You're a really awesome girl! Who can say no to you?" Gohan said.

'Wow... Did I take a page from Rainbow Dash or something? Where did that come from?' He thought.

Fluttershy blushed furiously, giggled, and twirled her hair.

'Well, it made her happy, so at least there's that.' Gohan thought.

"You can dish compliments out, but it looks like you can't handle the heat of them, huh?" He teased.

Fluttershy giggled even more.

"I-I... Um..." She said.

'I can barely talk... Why am I this flustered...!?' She thought.

'I can't even think straight...' She thought.

"Someone as caring and kind as you doesn't know how to process kindness... Alright. I'll remember for the future." Gohan teased.

Fluttershy kept stuttering...

"I-I... T-Than... The... You... Think?" She sputtered.

"Take your time." Gohan said.

"I'm... perfect?" Fluttershy managed.

"Do you want me to take my words back? Of course you are!" Gohan said.

Fluttershy's face grew even redder...

"I-I... Um..." She stuttered.

At this point, Fluttershy's stuttering worried the Saiyan.

"...Are you okay?" Gohan asked.

"I... I-I have to go!" Fluttershy blurted.

She immediately stood up, grabbed her bag and ran out of the place.

'...I went too far. Oh, I shouldn't have teased her like that...' Gohan thought.

'At least she finished her shake.' He thought, sipping on his own.

---

"Oh, Fluttershy..." Rarity said.

The two of them were on a park bench.

"Why did you run away?" She asked.

"I... I don't know what came over me." Fluttershy asked.

"He complimented me, and I... I just shut down." She said.

"How does something like that shut you down?" Rarity asked.

"He called me 'an awesome girl' who is 'perfect in every regard.'" Fluttershy said.

"Oh, my, goodness- He's totally into you!" Rarity said.

"No, he's not... He thinks I'm preparing myself for some other guy!" Fluttershy said.

"Well, I will have to take the blame for that... I gave you the words, you said them, and now he has the wrong idea." Rarity said.

"But it does seem like he has an interest in you." She said.

"No, I can't tell if he's just being nice or flirting...!" Fluttershy said.

"Plus, I don't think he can even tell I'm flirting to begin with!" She said.

"How so?" Rarity asked.

"He thinks I'm just being nice and/or preparing for some imaginary guy. He said so..." Fluttershy said.

"I don't know how someone as smart as he is could be so... clueless!" She said.

"Well, the only way you two can be together is if you tell him outright." Rarity said.

"But..." Fluttershy said.

"It's your fault for falling in love with a clueless gentleman." Rarity teased.

"But I want him to... like me too." Fluttershy said.

"Who knows? Perhaps he does share these feelings with you. Maybe he's just as shy as you about it! You'll never know until you tell him." Rarity said.

"Oh, rescue romance in real life... This is perfect." She said.

"...We still don't know if it's going to happen." Fluttershy said.

"Don't doubt yourself!" Rarity said.

"Tomorrow, pull him aside, make sure nobody else is there. Just tell him then." She said.

"...I'll try." Fluttershy said.

"Here, these are a few things you can say..." Rarity said.

---

Tapion was playing his ocarina, leaning against the wall.

It was something that prevented him from sleeping, so...

It was nighttime, and of course, Trunks was here with another plate of food.

Burger and milk this time.

So Tapion stopped playing.

"Oh, don't stop playing because of me..." Trunks said, setting the food down on a barrel.

As he did this, Hoi was standing on the roof above the two.

He was wearing a cloak and mask with some scarf for extra wind effects.

He wore a spike necklace as well.

He was the shadowy figure Gohan saw the night before...

"You sound great! I've heard you play before." Trunks said.

"That's an ocarina, right? I know my instruments..." He said.

Tapion glared at him again, but...

He started walking towards him, too.

But, suddenly...

Hoi jumped from the roof and landed in front of the entrance in a flash.

"What the...!?" Trunks said.

Hoi was quicker than he let on, and dashed ahead towards Tapion!

He smacked the ocarina out of his hand!

Right towards Trunks.

It landed at his feet, clinking when it hit the ground.

Trunks picked it up, and...

"Give me that flute...!" Hoi yelled, dashing at Trunks now.

Trunks barely dodged Hoi's claw by moving to the side.

Hoi tried grabbing the ocarina with his other hand, but Trunks leapt away.

Hoi grabbed at Trunks again, forcing Trunks to jump on his free hand.

Another swipe, and another miss.

Trunks kept avoiding every attempt.

Eventually, Hoi's mask and hood fell off in his haste.

He's pretty bald.

Some extremely flammable liquid was tipped over, and fell all over the ground.

On contact, it created flames.

This separated Trunks and Hoi.

Trunks jumped on top of a pile of boulders beside Tapion.

"Trunks, here!" Tapion yelled.

"Right!" Trunks yelled, ready to throw.

"Wait!" Hoi yelled.

"Hear me out! Tapion is not a hero! In fact, it is he who destroyed the city!" He yelled, pointing at Tapion.

"What...?" Trunks asked.

"No, Trunks. He's lying." Tapion said.

"Once you hand him the flute, he will destroy not only your planet, but the whole universe! Give it here, I'll save you..." Hoi said, holding his hands out.

"He won't. He's evil." Tapion said.

Trunks looked to Hoi, then Tapion...

'Hoi's story isn't adding up. Gohan already told me how Tapion somehow defeated the monster at the city.' He thought.

"I'll protect you, child..." Hoi said.

...

"...Catch!" Trunks yelled, throwing it to Tapion.

Tapion caught it with a single hand.

Hoi was distraught...

He grunted in anger, then leapt towards the ceiling.

He jumped from fallen beam to fallen beam until he was out of sight.

Trunks looked to Tapion with glee, but...

Tapion just gave him that mean glare again.

"...Alright, I'll leave you alone." Trunks said, hopping off the rubble.

He started walking out the entrance...

"...I'm hungry." Tapion said.

Trunks stopped.

He looked back at Tapion, who... smiled?

"Would you care to join me?" He asked.

Trunks instantly smiled and nodded cheerfully.

The abandoned base was full of laughter and storytelling for the night...

---

Later in the night...

Trunks and Tapion were walking through the ruins of West City.

"What happened here?" Tapion asked.

"The Androids attacked." Trunks said.

"Androids?" Tapion asked.

"Two mechanical demons that wrecked havoc on this planet... They literally endangered the human population for fun." Trunks said.

"That's terrible..." Tapion said.

"That guy with the gi, Gohan... He took em down for good." Trunks said.

"He's that strong, huh?" Tapion asked.

"It took him a few years... Well, actually, more than ten years, really." Trunks said.

"He's teaching me how to fight so I can help him!" He said.

"You want to be a hero that bad?" Tapion asked.

"Totally!" Trunks said.

'Oh, he's too much like Minotia...' Tapion thought.

"Well, you have the strength and the enthusiasm." He said.

Eventually, the two approached Trunks's house.

At Capsule Corp.'s mostly destroyed entrance...

Trunks knocked on the door.

...

...In a few seconds...

The door swung open.

It was Bulma.

"Oh, welcome home, Tru-"

Then she noticed Tapion.

"...Hello there." Tapion said.

"Trunks... Why did you bring a complete stranger here...!?" Bulma asked.

She wasn't angry, just... surprised.

"He's the hero!" Trunks said.

"I hope I'm not a nuisance at this time..." Tapion said.

"He begged me to come." He said, pointing at Trunks.

"...I guess you're the guy Trunks has been feeding food to." Bulma said.

"How can you tell?" Trunks asked.

"You think I can't notice more dishes?" Bulma asked.

"...If you're willing to stay, we have plenty of extra room." She said.

"Thank you." Tapion said.

---

Trunks changed into a button down red shirt and pants.

He was tucked into bed...

Tapion shut the light off and walked over to Trunks's bed.

"Tapion, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Trunks asked.

Tapion sat down on the bed.

"...A brother, yes." He said.

"I knew it! What's he like?" Trunks asked.

"He was a good kid... with a good heart." Tapion said.

"What about your planet? Is it anything like Earth?" Trunks asked.

"Sort of. My home was in the South Galaxy. Planet Conose. Green, lush forests... Water so clear you could see the bottom of the deepest ocean... It was a beautiful world... before the nightmare." Tapion said, losing his smile.

"Nightmare?" Trunks asked.

"Hirudegarn. A phantom- A mist, a shadow... What it found in peace it left in pieces... Decimated." Tapion said.

He reminisced of the burning cities, running townsfolk, screaming people...

"It was said there were many, but we only saw one." He said.

"It reduced the land to ash and hunted my people to the brink of extinction. There were only a handful of us left...when a miracle happened." He said.

Tapion looked very distraught...

...But smiled once more.

He looked to Trunks, but he fell fast asleep.

Tapion smiled, but...

All Trunks did was remind him of his younger brother, Minotia.

Tapion could remember Minotia smiling when everyone ran for their lives...

'I don't know how you could ever smile at a time like that...' He thought, clenching his fist.

'It won't happen again. I swear.' He thought.

Next Chapter: Tapion, You Haven't Slept For How Long!? Hirudegarn's Terror Unleashed! Sorry, Fluttershy, Another Time! Estimated time remaining: 38 Minutes