Trunks could hear Rhuda hitting the time chamber door with her fists. Her voice was muffled, but he recognized his name.

I'm sorry Chisato...I have to do this.

The first thing on his agenda was getting Shallot back into his own body. That would require teamwork, and the Supreme Kai of Times' powers to fix. 

Trunks looked back longingly at the time chamber, his heart wrenching, but set his jaw firm. He flew across the mushroom desert and back to the Nest portal, going into it. There he saw how bad the situation had became. His father lay in the dirt, wounded, and ss4 Goku was fighting Zamasu toe to toe. Across from the pond where Tokitoki screeched away stood Piccolo, the other Goku, and his other father. Broly wasn't present.

"Sorry I'm late." Trunks said, flying over to the group.

"Trunks! It's about time!" SKOT shouted. She jabbed his chest, "This is serious! We've been waiting for you."

"For me? Why?" He asked.

SKOT let out a resigned sigh. "...My powers aren't working. I don't know what's going on, but we're going to need to figure out a different way to take care of Ginyu."

Trunks swallowed. It had to be the creators doing, making her powerless at the end of the game. He had to think of something. But what?

"...Whis, have you tried calling him?" He asked her.

SKOT nodded. "I did. He's not answering. It's like something is jamming our signals."

Trunks turned to Goku. "Can you IT there?"

Goku thought about it a second. He slowly nodded. "...Maybe if I got closer. I think. Sorry! It's hard to say. But it won't work here."

"Then let's get going, Goku." Trunks said. "We need to be fast. We'll go to your time, and try there."

Goku nodded again. "Alright. Works for me. Be back, SKOT!"

"Hurry, please! My home is being ruined!" She worriedly said.

****

****

****

Rhuda sobbed and sobbed, and sobbed some more.

"Trunks....why? Please, don't....don't leave me here...!"

Time flowed differently within the Time Chamber. For her it had already been some time since Trunks had told her goodbye, and probably for good. It could have been eternity, at least that's how it felt to the girl suffering miserably.

"...Hic...."

Her hand went to her watch, but didn't feel it there. "M-My watch..?"

She gasped. Trunks must have taken it when he left. And she hadn't even realized. Just what was he thinking, taking away her only way to survive? 

"No!" Rhuda banged once more on the door, "You...you can't do this!"

***

***

***

Trunks made it to Gokus timeline, and the first thing Goku did was sense King Kai. 

"...There. Hang on!"

They IT to King Kais world, where King Kai jumped and threw his paint brush, smacking Goku in the face with it. Blue paint speckled his cheeks. 

"H-Hey! King Kai!"

King Kai sighed in relief, seeing it was Goku and not some crazed monster, or Beerus the destroyer on a surprise visit. 

The Kai wiped sweat away. "Goku! I don't have time for you to mess my home up! I've got to finish painting my baby!"

His 'baby' was an 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop convertible, and it was sparkling clean and shining brilliantly.

"Sorry, King Kai, I'm only here to get to Whis. I can't sense his energy this far out, but..." Goku put his fingers to his forehead, "...There! Jaco is closer. Come on, Trunks."

King Kai was left blinking in bewilderment.

*

*

"Whaa!" Jaco jumped from his pilot seat and smacked the window in shock.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Goku said.

"W-What are you doing here, Goku?! And, Vegetas less intimating son?" Jaco asked.

"...No time to explain," Trunks said, "but we're only trying to get to Whis."

Goku was already focusing on Beerus' energy, considering Whis was an angel and didn't have any that was sensible.

"Got him, Goku?" Trunks asked. 

Goku nodded. "...Yeah. It's still faint, but it'll have to do."

Trunks and Goku left Jaco trying to maneuver his spaceship back onto the correct path, sweating profusely. "It must be serious for Goku to come out here," the galactic patrolman said. "Oh well! Not my monkeys, not my circus!"

Finally Goku and Trunks made it to Beerus' planet, arriving beside a yawning destroyer God. He barely blinked over at Goku, as if expecting him. "Hm. Goku, and you're...Trunks. Well, what is it? I know you're not here to bring me food." The cat god said.

Goku clapped his hands together and pleaded over to Whis standing beside Beerus. "Can I ask a huge, HUGE favor?"

Whis blinked but nodded. "I suppose. Providing, of course, I get reimbursed with yummy earth food."

Trunks bowed to them both and began relaying why he was there. They listened intently, before Whis broke in, "...So the Kai of Times powers aren't working? How strange. I do seem to have some time on my hands. Very well, let us go."

***

***

***

Trunks, Goku, Beerus and Whis all arrived within the Nest of Conton. The tiny Kai was on her back, injured and SS4 Goku looked to be trying to keep Zamasu away from her, guarding her body. Vegeta was holding an injured arm, clenching his teeth in aggravation.

Piccolo and the other Vegeta were blasting him with energy. At least Zamasu looked like he was wearing down.

"He just won't sit still!" Vegeta shouted.

Whis stepped to the SKOT and looked down at her. "Oh my. Here, let me help you." He tapped his wand and she rose up, healed.

"Whis, thank you, and thank goodness you're here!"

The angel smiled kindly. "How nice. I wish a certain someone was that happy to see me," he said looking over at Beerus.

At that second Zamasu appeared before Whis, his divine sword aiming for the angels chest. Whis easily moved aside. "I apologize, but you're not in the correct body. That won't do." Whis said, tapping his staff again.

Two things happened. The first, Zamasu got his original body back. Second, Shallot and Ginyu swapped bodies. 

Shallot and Zamasu pat their chests with relief.

Right afterwards, both Vegetas pounced on the frog Ginyu, trying to stomp him. Their boots hit each other instead, and it became a struggle over who should get to kill him. Ginyu hopped away to the bushes, but Goku yanked it up by his frog leg. "I don't think so, buddy. You caused a lot of trouble for all of us."

Goku tossed Ginyu to Vegeta, who smirked evily and said, "Say your prayers, Ginyu!"

Just as he tried to stomp him into the ground however, Ginyu vanished in a puff of binary numbers. The numbers flew off and scattered across the Nest, vanishing.

Vegeta wasn't happy with that outcome. He'd been looking forward to Ginyus demise, and sulked.

That's taken care of, Trunks thought, now I need to get my plan underway. Once I start, I'll only have one chance. I just hope...I can do this.

Trunks took a giant breath and said, "SKOT, everyone, I need to tell you something important. But before I do that, I have to use the Super Dragon Balls."

Everyone was shocked. The SKOT most of all. "T-Trunks, what's the meaning of this? Hey, wait a minute. What's the special word?"

"Pudding. Don't worry, it's me, SKOT. Please, I don't have long. We're all in grave danger." He said to her.

She realized that Trunks was serious. Thus, the SKOT nodded. "...Very well. I hope you know what you're doing. And...you know the rules?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm only correcting something that was wrong to start with." Trunks looked over at Shallot and said, "C'mon. I need to talk to you before I make a wish. In private."

Shallot followed behind Trunks' back into the Vault. When the door was shut Trunks began. "...I'm appointing you the new Leader of the Time Patrol. Shironui Yuusuke."

"W-What? Why would you...?" Shallot asked, aghast.

"What I'm doing is to protect not just this game, but Chisatos world as well. ...She...she won't remember any of this. But you will, because I'm going to wish for your life back as you are now."

"My...life? B-But--?" Shallot had many questions but Trunks only partially answered some. "I'm giving you a special time machine. It's just a prototype, but should get the job done. Don't worry. It won't cause a rift. That's why it's still unreleased. I was...saving it, for something like this. Your last mission for us here is to go back in time, in the real world, and prevent Chisato from meeting that man, and dying."

Shallot took a moment to absorb that. When he understood, he nodded. "Alright. I'll do it, for noodles. But...how am I going to do that?"

Trunks grabbed Shallots shoulders firmly. "...The time machine I'm giving you, use it, to go back to before Chisato died. Just...stay low. You'll be a saiyan, and I'm not sure how that will work there. There'll be two of you for awhile."

It was a big job. Shallot couldn't fathom why it was that Trunks would rely on him so much, when he was just a regular guy. "...But, what about you, Trunks?" He asked.

"...I don't plan on making it out of here alive. After the wish is made, it won't matter."

"What! Y-You can't just up and die! Chisato loves you, man!" Shallot shook him.

Trunks swat him off angrily. "I know that! Even if there was another way, I don't have the time to wait that long. They'll erase my memories or kill me off. Either way...as long as Chisato doesn't play the game and die, this data won't be corrupted...and the Ancient One can't be brought back."

"I...I see. Damn...shitty either way, looks like." Shallot sighed. "...You're sure about this?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving Chisato in your hands, Shironui."

Shallot and Trunks shared a tense moment. Then, Shallot stuck his hand out. "...I'm gonna miss this place. And even you, Mr. Perfect."

Trunks chuckled and took his hand. "Same here." The genius then ruffled Shallots spiked head. "...Keep her safe. And happy."

"Don't need to tell ME twice. Heh!"

With renewed determination and a heart of sorrow, Trunks Briefs turned to the row of scrolls. He selected the time when he'd wished for everyone to come back in his original timeline, after learning about the Super Dragon Balls from his other self, sent there by Beerus and Whis because Goku Black and Zamasu had been erased by Grand Zeno.

"...This is it. Here, take these." Trunks handed Shallot a capsule, a satchel of sensu beans he took from Rhuda, and his watch, along with Rhudas save point. "Just in case. If this messes up...and we meet again, hopefully...we can prevent it."

"Understood. I'll take good care of these."

*****

****

****

"Come forth, Divine Dragon, and grant my wish, peas and carrots!"

The large dragon emerged after a great rumbling. It's golden form waited calmly.

Trunks shouted: "I wish for Shallot, Shironui Yuusuke, to go back to his reality as a saiayn, with all of his memories from this game!"

Trunks' wish was granted, much to the surprise and confusion of both his past selves, who had been about to make their own wish. SKOT could fix that timeline later, using Whis' help of time reversal and her own powers. Hopefully.

He made it back to the Nest and didn't see or sense Shallot. It had worked. And with that, Chisato had to be safe.

Quickly he grabbed the scroll he remembered from Chisatos memories, the one leading to the ending and Master Roshi scene. He connected to it and was brought to Kame House.

How fitting for the beginning of his battles and ending of battles to be at this place.

Roshi was waiting. He stood up. "...Clever, clever boy."

Trunks pulled his sword. He'd fight, he didn't care at that point. But Roshi tapped his wooden cane, and a new foe dropped from the sky. When Trunks saw who it was he stepped several paces back.

"No...! You...?" He asked.

The new comer tapped down. How cute. Well, it doesn't matter. Nice try with that wish. But you're only delaying the inevitable."

Chisato-! Trunks grit his teeth. His precious girlfriend would be in grave danger, and wouldn't know the enemy was so close!

He needed to get to his notebook and the vault!

"I can see how fearful you are. Don't worry, I'm not the Game Master. We...don't work alone. In fact, I'd say there's a whole team of programmers. We all share the same, beautiful dream."

"...And what dream is that?" Trunks asked through gritted teeth. He had a pretty good guess already.

"Ha ha! Since I'm about to rewrite your entire Data, it doesn't matter does it? But...I suppose any good villain reveals their plans. Ahh, it feels so nice to finally get recognition for all of my hard work. Hmm, where to start?"

Trunks growled.

"Impatient...little half monkey. Hmm. Okay, I know, I'll start at the ending, then!" They clapped their hands. "Yes. I'm going to unite the Ancient One to the real world. Her powers of the Dark Dragon Balls are far superior to those Super Dragon Balls...and the wish I'll make?"

"...Tell me, already!"

"I'll think I'll keep you guessing on that."

His chest seared with pain. He stumbled, looking down to see a gaping hole in his front. Right beside his heart. The chuckle of one Fu came to his ear. "...I love this game! Oh, the joys of killing a main character..."

The sword tilted into his chest, and Trunks spat blood. He trembled, seeing his vision begin to speckle.

No, not yet. I have to warn Chisato...and Shironui--

"He's dying so soon. Too bad; he 'almost' had us, didn't he?" The new enemy laughed. "...But this is just the Beta run. Now we know..."

Trunks used his dying words to ask, "...And...Chisato...?"

"Oh, her? Of course we'll kill her again. In fact, for being so lucky...she needs punished."

"N-No..." Trunks fell over, watching as his life blood became a puddle. In that puddle he saw Chisato, smiling. "Don't...don't touch her!"

"Hmmm, tempting but...no. She's easy prey. Even with that Shironui helping, we'll still get our way. He isn't a genius, like you. Ah ha! I'm going to have fun with this. She'll...cry so very much. My men will toy with her body, take turns raping her. She'll be so distraught, not knowing it was all her boyfriends fault. How..exquisite!"

Trunks fell forward in a puddle of his own blood. His gloved hand reached out, to try and grasp at Chisato as she faded away. "...Not..her...please..."

He couldn't let them hurt her. Even if he had to go there himself, Chisato had to be alright.

Gohan, I'm...dying, just as you did back then. All...for her...I'll die, as many times as it takes..!

The last thing he heard was evil laughter, and Fu saying all that wasn't necessary.