Tapion stood outside Trunks's room, just staring at the door.

'It's too risky to stay here for the night... Hirudegarn might awaken.' He thought.

He started walking away from the door, and...

"Where are you going?" Bulma asked.

She was right behind him.

"You're welcome to stay the night. We have plenty of room. Besides, I know Trunks will be happy if he sees you when he wakes up." She said.

"I can't stay." Tapion said, not facing her.

"Why not?" Bulma asked.

"...Having me around is dangerous." Tapion said.

"Dangerous? You don't seem very dangerous. Why don't you tell me about it?" Bulma asked.

---

Bulma poured two cups of hot coffee...

The two sat at a coffee table.

"If it's too difficult, we can discuss later..." Bulma said.

"No... But to start with my story, I must start with his." Tapion said.

"Who?" Bulma asked.

"Hoi. The old man who tricked your friend into summoning me. You may not have met him, but they were certainly deceived." Tapion said.

"So that's why Trunks was raving about a hero arriving..." Bulma said.

"Hoi was a member of the Kashvar. Power hungry aliens who believed themselves to be the superior species of the universe. For eons, they've traveled the stars using their dark magic to hunt down and exterminate all life forms different from their own. On Conose, they revived an evil long thought destroyed by my ancestors... Hirudegarn. A malevolent assassin that consumes its victims and imprisons their life force." Tapion explained.

"That sounds terrible." Bulma said, sipping on her coffee.

"Yeah. He murdered half our population." Tapion said.

"Damn... That's similar to what happened here." Bulma said.

"Trunks told me of two Androids... They seemed to have caused the same amount of destruction." Tapion said.

"Trunks was willing to go in and fight them for the last time, but luckily, Gohan didn't let him." Bulma said.

"The man in the orange and blue uniform... He's brimming with power. A force to be reckoned with." Tapion said.

"But I think not even he could stand up to Hirudegarn with his might." He said.

"So... How did your world handle such an incredible threat?" Bulma asked.

"It wasn't until we stumbled upon an enchanted sword when we realized we even had a chance." Tapion said.

"Is that it?" Bulma asked, pointing to his sword.

Tapion picked it up and put the handle in his hand.

He slowly unsheathed it.

"A wizard found it in a temple. Along with the blade, two ocarinas were discovered. My brother and I used them in hopes of distracting the beast. They must have been enchanted as well, neither one of us knew how to play. The melody seemed to consume Hirudegarn with rage. But try as it might, the beast could do us no harm. At that moment, the wizard took up the sword and charged. The monster had barely enough time to react before the blast cleaved it in two. What should've ended there was only the beginning. Hirudegarn survived, but was prevented from becoming whole again. The wizard confined it's upper half inside me, and the lower inside my brother. A small price for victory." He explained.

"My people survived the onslaught, and Minotia and I became heroes." He said.

"Trunks told me you came from a music box... Care to tell me how you ended up there?" Bulma asked.

"We had no choice. It was the only way the Kashvar couldn't get their hands on us... We thought. The wizard agreed to perform the procedure, but promised to release us once the Kashvar had been brought to justice. We both knew better, but we're proud to serve. As a final precaution, our boxes were sealed and sent to opposite ends of the farthest galaxies. That was the last time I saw my brother. Or my home. Now here I am. Thousand years later and nothing's changed. Still a prisoner outside, looking in." Tapion said.

"What about your brother?" Bulma asked.

"I have no idea. Probably dead." Tapion said.

"How can we stop Hoi?" Bulma asked.

"So long as I stay awake, he can't free the upper half. Never thought I'd say this, but I miss that music box." Tapion said.

"You haven't slept for how long?" Bulma asked.

"A couple of days. The box was completely destroyed when I emerged." Tapion said.

"That's terrible..." Bulma said.

But, she had a brilliant idea.

"Wait. If you can give me the design... I'll build you a new one!" She said.

"Can you really do that?" Tapion asked.

"Better yet, I'll build you a bedroom so you won't get splinters." Bulma said.

"But the music box was specially designed. I do know the design, but I don't think you can replicate it's effect." Tapion said.

"I don't know if it was magic or not... I do know the material." He said.

"It's totally worth a shot! Besides, the music boxes weren't enchanted, were they?" Bulma asked.

"No, I don't believe so..." Tapion said.

"Then it'll be a walk in the park! I can easily replicate the materials." Bulma said.

"I... I don't know what to say!" Tapion said, actually joyful.

"We'll call it even. Spend some time with Trunks, and I'll build it." Bulma said.

"Deal." Tapion said.

"I'll get started first thing in the morning." Bulma said.

"I'll draw you a diagram. I've spent so much time in there, I remember it like the back of my hand." Tapion said.

---

"Look, your locker is right next to his and you sit right next to him in homeroom." Rarity said.

She and Fluttershy were chatting in the crowded hallway.

"Just say something there! Give him time to think about it through the day." She said.

"I-I don't know... That'll just make things awkward and weird when we should be focusing on class." Fluttershy said.

"Then tell him after school. Let him know where to be and how important it is." Rarity said.

"I suppose I could do that..." Fluttershy said.

"You'll have more time to think about what to say." Rarity said.

"I know, I know, butter him up with what I admire about him and then say it flat out." Fluttershy said.

Rarity nodded.

"I just hope he can see something in me... There isn't much to find, though..." Fluttershy said.

"Don't doubt yourself..." Rarity said.

'You're looking too humble, actually...' She thought.

"Now, go ask if he has time after school." She said.

Fluttershy nodded, and the two went their separate ways.

Fluttershy managed to find her way around the crowded hallway...

It was still fairly early, so nobody was rushing to class or anything.

They were mostly screwing around, gossiping and playing.

...Then she saw Gohan at his locker, reading something on a piece of paper.

She approached him, and he let out a groan.

"...Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, hey, Fluttershy." Gohan said.

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Another love note." Gohan said casually.

"L-Love note?" Fluttershy asked.

'Wait, another!?' She thought.

"I get these at least once a week." Gohan said.

"Well... I guess I shouldn't be surprised..." Fluttershy said.

"I don't recognize the handwriting every single time, and I don't even know anyone outside our little friend group." Gohan said.

'I'm glad... That little friend group was pushing me to do this...!' Fluttershy thought.

"Each note, it's the same thing. I love you, you're so strong and smart and blah blah blah. They're lying to me and themselves if they actually believe that." Gohan said.

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

"They don't know me. All they would ever know is that I'm strong and smart. I don't know them, I could never return those feelings." Gohan said.

"Do you go see who your secret admirers are...?" Fluttershy asked.

"Never. I just pretend I never saw the note." Gohan said.

He crumpled the note he had in his hand.

'I don't know if I should be happy or not about that... The good thing is, I have a better chance than I thought...' Fluttershy thought.

"A-Are you searching for someone special?" She asked.

Gohan paused.

"...I'm open to the idea of a relationship. I'm not actively pursuing one, though." He said.

"Oh, well. I'm sure you'll find someone someday." Fluttershy said.

'It'll never be me, but... It's worth a shot!' She thought.

"Well, nobody knows for sure." Gohan said.

"Kind of off-topic, but are you busy after school?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, why?" Gohan asked.

"I have something important to tell you." Fluttershy said.

"Is it anything serious?" Gohan asked.

"Somewhat, but... Wait for me in front of where the Wondercolts' Statue was after school, alright?" Fluttershy asked.

"Alright..." Gohan said.

"I'll see you there..." Fluttershy said, winking.

'Maybe you'll get an idea...?' She thought.

'Does she want to go to Equestria? Does she want me to go with her?' Gohan thought.

---

Tapion and Trunks were strolling through the rubble of West City.

"Tell me more about your friend, Gohan." Tapion said.

"Taking down these Androids must've been quite a task." He added.

"Gohan is the strongest warrior on Earth... But other than that, he's trying to become a scholar, or so he says. He's pretty smart." Trunks said.

"Are you strong, Tapion?" He asked.

"I'm the hero, aren't I?" Tapion asked, smiling.

"Well, try this!"

Tapion caught Trunks's fist with his hand.

"Heh. You do pack a serious punch." Tapion said.

"Man, you're quick!" Trunks said, taking his hand back.

Tapion shook his hand because of the punch.

"It's mostly magic. A wizard blessed me." He said.

"Is that sword also blessed?" Trunks asked.

"It's enchanted. It cleaved the monster who brought my people to the brink of extinction in two." Tapion said.

"That's so cool!" Trunks said.

Tapion took the sword out from it's sheath.

"Wanna give it a go?" He asked.

"For real!?" Trunks asked.

"As long as you don't cut me with it..." Tapion said, holding it by the blade.

He pointed the handle at Trunks.

Trunks excitedly grabbed the handle with his hands...

Once Tapion let go...

"This is heavier than I thought..." Trunks said.

"But I can still use it!" He said, holding the weapon over his shoulder.

Trunks turned around and saw a boulder of concrete.

"Try slicing that." Tapion said, pointing at the rock.

Trunks brought the sword down to his side.

He dashed towards it, letting out a war cry!

He brought the sword up and to the side!

The concrete was perfectly sliced into two rocks.

"Woah!" Trunks said.

"See what I mean?" Tapion said, holding his hand out for the sword back.

Trunks slowly walked back to Tapion and handed him the sword.

"Thanks!" He said.

Tapion sheathed the sword once more.

Then, he yawned.

"You tired?" Trunks asked.

"I haven't slept in days." Tapion said.

"What!? Why didn't you sleep last night?" Trunks asked.

"It's complicated. So much so that your mother's building something so I can sleep." Tapion said.

"Oh. That's what she was working on this morning. Maybe she's done by now." Trunks said.

"I guess we can go check in on her." Tapion said.

---

"You finished that quickly!?" Tapion asked.

In a warehouse, Bulma had created a giant music box.

Literally.

The handle was giant, the box had gears and cranks and will play music if the handle was moved.

Inside, there was a bed.

"This is amazing... I don't believe it!" Tapion said excitedly.

"It's right there." Bulma said.

"The chamber generates the same frequency, allowing you to achieve REM sleep while maintaining control over all cognitive functions!" She said.

Tapion stepped in...

Looking around, he smiled.

"You should have no problem getting your beauty sleep." Bulma said.

"Wow... It's perfect, thank you." Tapion said.

"Let's leave him alone for now, Trunks." Bulma said.

"Sleep tight!" Trunks said, running off.

---

"All I gotta say is, you're a moron." Rainbow Dash said.

She and Gohan were sitting alone at the lunch table...

It seems like the others haven't arrived yet.

"What did I do...?" Gohan asked.

"I'm not gonna spell it out for ya. It's painfully obvious what this girl trying to convey, you just don't see it." Rainbow Dash said.

"Who even is it, anyway!?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, I can't say... But what is she trying to tell me?" Gohan asked.

"You're hopeless." Rainbow Dash said.

"Come on, Rainbow. I'm not good with social situations!" Gohan said.

"Think about what this girl's telling you and make your judgment off that." Rainbow Dash said.

Gohan thought intently...

'Nah. She couldn't be interested... She's pursuing the other guy.' He thought.

"I see now. Man, why didn't I get it before?" He asked.

"What do ya think it is?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"There's no interest whatsoever. I'm just overthinking things..." Gohan said.

'...Okay, I'm having a really tough time believing you're this clueless... Either that or Fluttershy's not doing a good job.' Rainbow Dash thought.

---

Hoi was standing atop a destroyed building in West City.

He made sure his attire was fixed from his last encounter with Tapion.

"Together we shall bring this universe to its knees... Once you are whole again, you will never be stopped!" He announced.

"Now... Time to destroy Earth!" He yelled, throwing his hands out.

His eyes turned red, and blue waves suddenly started emerging from him again.

They went to the Capsule Corp. building...

Traveling through the rooms, nobody could sense their presence.

They all made their way to the giant music box...

Tapion was woken up by the abrupt waves, sitting up in his bed.

He was not prepared for this.

The waves managed to get Hirudegarn to try to force his way out of Tapion...!

A tiny Hirudegarn could be seen in Tapion's eye, yelling and trying to claw out.

Tapion screamed loudly, grabbing his head in sheer pain.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHH!"

Tapion lowered his head and gritted his teeth, clutching his head even harder.

"I... can't... control... it...!"

---

Trunks lifted a boulder in the wasteland of West City...

He held it over his head with relative ease.

"Huh. I can't find anything heavy around here anymore..." He said to himself.

The clouds were moving in.

It suddenly got slightly dark...

BAKOOM!

Trunks dropped the boulder in surprise, and it cracked into pieces on the ground.

He looked to Capsule Corp. and found the source of the explosion.

There was some smoke...

"Tapion...?" Trunks muttered.

He immediately started running towards home, hoping for the best...

He immediately made it to the place, but ran around the building to get to the warehouse Tapion was sleeping.

The shutter was destroyed, and so was the door to the giant music box.

The music box seemed like it was ready to crumble at any moment...

Then, from behind...

"What happened!?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know!" Trunks said.

The two heard very loud and tired grunts...

Tapion was trying to make his way out of the chamber, using the wall as support.

He was panting loudly...

Trunks immediately rushed to his aid...

Letting Tapion throw his arm around him and keeping him from falling.

"Tapion, are you alright?" Trunks asked.

"N-No..." Tapion said, his voice very hoarse.

"Did the monster get out?" Bulma asked.

"No... It tried to escape, but I stopped it in time. We got another problem, though...!" Tapion said.

"The lower half is free... He will attack here!" He said.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Trunks asked.

"The closer the halves are, the stronger each becomes... I don't know how much longer I can fight it...!" Tapion said.

"AAAARGH!"

Tapion completely lost his balance and Trunks had to make sure he didn't fall down.

"He's hurt...!" Trunks said.

"He needs medical attention!" Bulma said.

"Trunks, get him to the nearest hospital!" She said.

"No...!" Tapion yelled.

"It's too late! Kill us now, before it escapes...!" He demanded.

Those cursed waves returned...

Nobody could see or feel them but Tapion though...

Then, Tapion grabbed Trunks's Capsule Corp. shirt.

"Kill me!"

"Don't touch him!" Hoi shouted from nowhere.

Then, looking outside, there was a blue portal...

Strong lightning flowed from it.

"Run!" Tapion shouted.

A giant foot came crashing down on the warehouse!

CRASH!

Luckily, nobody was hurt, but...

Debris was flying everywhere.

Bulma fell to the floor in surprise.

Tapion got himself back on his feet and pulled out his ocarina.

But...

A red blast hit it out of his hands!

It clinked as it fell to the ground.

Turns out Hoi was hanging upside down from the ceiling...

Trunks dashed towards the ocarina and picked it up.

However, at that moment, some of the ceiling gave out and fell right on top of him...

CRASH!

"Trunks!" Tapion yelled.

Trunks emerged from the rubble without a scratch.

He threw it at Tapion.

"Play it!" He yelled.

Tapion caught it with one hand.

He was about to play it, but those invisible waves started hitting him again.

He fought against it as much as he could, grunting loudly...

He took a few steps forward...

"Tapion...?" Trunks asked.

Then, Tapion let out a terrifying scream.

"AAAAAAAUUUUGGGH!"

He dropped his ocarina, and it looked like he was burning!

It was the phantom majin's mist breaking free!

Once all of it left his body...

Tapion just fell to his knees and then collapsed to the floor.

The mist flew to the sky and suddenly disappeared...

It formed another portal.

Lightning was flying everywhere from it.

Hoi cackled as his plan was finally working...

The lightning flew all over West City!

It didn't seem like it'd let up anytime soon...

---

The end of the school day.

Fluttershy was patiently waiting outside the school.

Students were passing by...

She was mentally preparing herself.

'You can win! You feel great! You! Can! Do! This! Ha-'

"Hey." Gohan said.

"Eep!" Fluttershy yelped, jumping back a bit.

"Oh... Sorry, I was... thinking." She said.

"It's alright..." Gohan said.

"Anyway, you wanted to tell me something?" He asked.

"Yes, um..." Fluttershy said, blushing.

"You... mean a lot to me, so this isn't exactly the easiest thing to say..." She said, looking down.

"...Ok." Gohan said.

"I value our friendship very much, but I can't avoid it any longer..." Fluttershy said.

"I really admire you... I could care less if you lost your strength, you'd still be one of the kindest and courageous people I know." She said.

"That's nice of you." Gohan said.

"You're the best, the smartest, and you..."

---

The lightning continued to rage on...

Until suddenly, it all struck the lower half of the monster!

It reunited the top and bottom half of the nightmarish phantom majin Hirudegarn!

"GROAAR!"

Trunks, Tapion, and Bulma were shocked...

Tapion cursed his own name, slamming his fist into the ground.

Hirudegarn's upper body was a lot more muscular, and his eyes seemed hollow...

"Uh oh...!" Trunks said.

---

Fluttershy continued to talk...

"...and I'm not surprised that you're getting love letters... Who wouldn't appreciate you?" She asked.

But while she did talk, Gohan felt something horrible.

An astonishing power level...

He looked away from Fluttershy and looked towards the skies.

"N-No..." He muttered.

"I-Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

Gohan clenched his fist...

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy..." He said.

Then, he instantly turned into a Super Saiyan.

His aura didn't flare for long.

The other students were surprised he did that...

"This is an emergency. I'm sorry, we'll continue this later... if we can." Gohan said.

"B-But wait, I..." Fluttershy said.

"I have to go right now." Gohan said.

"No! I'm in-"

"Trunks might die if I don't leave right now!" Gohan yelled.

Fluttershy was too scared to even respond...

Then, he jumped into the sky and darted away.

He left shockwaves with his amazing speed...

'I was just about to say it...! Darn it!' Fluttershy thought.

She kicked the ground in disappointment.

'What horrible timing... I should've said it immediately...' She thought.

"Gohan... Please be alright...!" She prayed quietly.

---

Hirudegarn roared once more...

"GROAAAAAAR!"

Hoi flew to the skies and made an announcement.

"I am Hoi! Last of the Kashvar! You have been summoned to do my bidding! Destroy humankind! Wipe every last one of them off the face of the Earth!" He shouted.

Lightning flashed...

Hirudegarn wound up his fist...

"Run!" Tapion shouted.

CRASH!

He missed, but put another hole in the building...

Bulma ran to a door and ran further inside Capsule Corp....

Trunks and Tapion jumped and maneuvered away.

They stopped at a dead end of multiple fallen buildings...

Hirudegarn's hollow eyes suddenly grew red at the middle, following the two...

Tapion started playing his ocarina once more.

Hirudegarn marched towards the two, leaving giant footsteps in his path.

A loud crash with each step...

Hirudegarn growled, and threw his tail over his head!

The tail had a blade at the end, and it was aimed right at Tapion!

The ocarina wouldn't save him this time...

"Move!" Trunks shouted, grabbing Tapion and narrowly dodging the attack...

CRASH!

"That old relic won't save you the same way it did your brother!" Hoi shouted, flying to the roof of a building.

"Minotia...!" Tapion muttered, realizing that his brother was truly dead.

"Now, bear witness to the true strength of Hirudegarn!" Hoi shouted.

Trunks carried Tapion over to an old but still standing office building...

Hirudegarn wasn't finished with just that.

He opened his mouth at the two and unleashed giant blazing flames!

It was too fast for Trunks to escape with Tapion...

Trunks decided to go against all odds and step in front of Tapion.

"I won't let you!" He shouted.

"Trunks, no!" Tapion yelled.

Trunks closed his eyes, bracing for impact...

But, as luck would have it...

"ENERGY SHIELD!"

The flames were diverted in multiple directions away from Trunks and Tapion!

"Look!" Tapion said.

Trunks opened his eyes...

Then he smiled.

"Gohan!" He said.

The flames died down, and Gohan's barrier was slightly cracked...

But he let the barrier die afterwards.

'Nonstop chaos... I'm sick of it.' He thought.

He made his aura flare.

'But with such a powerful enemy, I'm not sure if we could ever make it out on top...!' He thought.

Next Chapter: The Fight Against Hirudegarn! The Ultimate Sacrifice To Protect The Earth! Evolution Through Despair! Estimated time remaining: 23 Minutes