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He’s strong.
That was Charlie’s first thought when she first laid eyes on the purple-skinned demon, the one who called himself “Fu”, who would always smile so innocently and nonchalantly every time they met.
But it wasn’t how he acted, how he spoke, or how he altered the moments in history and watched said changes unfold with interest that told her that. That wasn’t to say that everything he did didn’t say something; it did. It spoke of hidden strength kept away from prying eyes, it spoke of control and focus to manipulate and absorb energy, it spoke of a unique way of looking at history and the giddiness of a future rewriting itself or even yet to be written.
What truly cemented this thought was that despite the interactions she had, as brief as they may be, with the demon, she could not determine soundly what his end-goal was. Not she, not Xeno-Trunks, or even the Supreme Kai of Time or Universe 7’s Elder Kai. And that’s what made him strong: his secrecy. A tool favoured among the strong, especially among demons and gods.
And here and now, she was face-to-face with an unfolding secret that she had not seen coming.
“Heh. You're probably wondering just who or what Fu really is. Let me explain.”
Charlie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but just barely. Typically, an evil villain monologue. But this respite would give her time to recharge and heal some minor scrapes and bruises.
Charlie knew from Elder Kai that some races were sensitive to the flow and fluctuation of energy, regardless of whether it was used as ki or mana. She couldn’t have the two demons in front of her clue in that she had some reserve energy or that she could heal herself without the aid of a Senzu Bean or Capsules. So, in that case, one had to redirect their attention to something else or distract them.
Letting out a garble of a gasp, she made a show of breathing in more deeply, as if she needed to catch her breath. It seemed to work, as Dabura looked truly smug now that she was struggling when before she hadn’t, as if the fight was catching up to her. The steady side-eyed gaze of her mentor was like a heavy helping hand on one’s shoulder, saying all it needed: I am here if you need to step back. Unnecessary but appreciated.
But Fu? He merely tilted his head slightly to one side, and one would have assumed it was to regard her with minor curiosity if his smile hadn’t grown a factor larger. She had a small nagging feeling that he had been observing her more than she had observed him and probably wasn’t as easily fooled. But with 2 out of 3, it would have to do.
As gently and quietly as she could, she manipulated the stationary energy within her body, directing it to areas that ached and throbbed in the ways only a sound beating could give. Dabura truly hadn’t held back in his desire to kill her and her mentor.
“You see, Fu is a unique mutant, made from the cells of Mira and my dear sister, Towa. That makes him part of the family, my rightful successor to the throne!”
The pieces she had gathered from first-hand accounts of those who had fought one or the other, as well as from her own experiences, slotted together to make a collage of truth and factors.
Towa had been a full-fledged demon, born and raised in the demon realm. Mira had been her creation, made by combining several races into one, though it was still unknown whether his base was demon-kind or something else. If Dabura was being honest and telling the truth, then Fu was pulling his strength from multiple genetic sources instead of the usual two, like it was Earthlings.
If that is the case, then that would explain his seemingly unnatural baseline strength and quick reflexes. But that would mean his family tree would look less like a single tree and more like a sprawling forest that happened to combine into a single organism. Some beings suffered under such legacies, yet Mira had not only survived but thrived. If Fu wasn’t anything like his kin….
And on top of that, he was akin to royalty? Next in line to inherit the throne to rule over all Demons? That just made him not only strong but troublesome as well. For every king who had a kingdom had an army. And while the Time Patrollers were organized, there was currently great grumblings and dissension among not only the ranked Patrollers but also those who provided other services; chaos in the making for a large organization.
“So, now you understand why I altered so much history. Ha-ha-ha-ha! It was all in the name of feeding him Time Rift energy.”
That made Charlie narrow her eyes as she really took in Fu. Towa, despite her age, had appeared youthful, so she had assumed that very slow aging was a physical characteristic of demons. But Dabura's statement seemed to suggest that Fu wasn’t just young-looking, but actually young. How old was he then? Obviously younger than his genetic parents and uncle, but was he younger than her?
“Now Fu. It's time to do what you were created for! Use that energy to destroy these mortals and revive the Demon Realm!”
A hiss slipped past her lips; she was still healing herself, and to swap from defensive to offensive was going to cost her time and energy that would-
“Uh….no way.”
Charlie blinked. His laid-back stance was unchanging at the clear refusal he had given to his uncle as his attention turned from her to his uncle, then back to her.
“What?!” There was confusion, but also the beginning of a scathing anger; the type of anger that first bubbled and popped in one’s chest before it spread out and over like an overboiling pot.
“I worked hard to get all of this energy. Killing them would be a terrible waste, if you ask me.” He said it with the clear defiance one would expect from a teenager. And yet, despite how general he was being, his gaze was clearly on her. Charlie felt her frown deepen; it was clear he didn’t think much of her, or perhaps any Time Patroller, more than a variable he could use to get more energy out of chaotic changes to history.
Fu then spun around with a flourish, his back to her as he stared down his uncle, who was now beginning to shake with rage. “I need to explore all the possibilities. You know, experiment with it a little. Throw it on the wall and see what sticks.”
Charlie could see now the anger beginning to change to fury, but there was something else mixed in as well. “B-But we have to avenge Towa….!”
So, demons could form attachments with one another, just like any other living creature. Especially since it seemed, just like any other race, the connections and depth varied, probably with the same factors that influenced human connections between one another. That also raised the question of how involved Towa and Mira had been with Fu if he was being so uninterested in revenge against one of the people who had a hand in their deaths. That was definitely something she was going to meditate on later.
“Sorry, big guy, but I'm not interested in revenge – or Demon Realms. It's not really my thing, catch my drift? I’m gonna do pretty much whatever I wanna do.” Fu truly sounded sincerely unapologetic, so him being a teenager seemed more and more likely. Which could explain why he was so flippant and disregarded everything other than what interested him, or this might have been how he just was, amplified by the demon equivalent of teenage hormones.
“Y-You…..You colossal, ungrateful idiot!!” The anger and grief were sharp and clear, and Charlie almost, almost, felt bad for Dabura.
That almost pity turned into shock as a glob of saliva, shining green with paralysis, was spat towards Fu with unparalleled speed. Before she could react, to do what exactly she wasn’t sure other than intervene, Fu struck. The blade, the one he used as an instrument to absorb energy, flashed a blinding white light. Even though there was a distance between the two members of kin, the blow hit.
And as the light faded, Dabura's energy faded to nothingness, and Charlie felt her eyes widen of their own accord; the tall demon who had turned the population of Conton City into stone had been turned to stone himself. Charlie flicked her gaze over to Fu, who looked so unbothered at what he had done. Someone who had no issues striking kin would have even fewer issues striking others.
Truly reckless. Truly a young teenager.
The bubble force field that had both imprisoned and harmed the Supreme Kai of Time faded, and though looking worse for wear with clear heat coming off in white vapour, the powerful Kai floated out very much alive. Charlie felt something loosen in her chest at the sight. With the Kai free and Dabura having been dealt with, it meant that her mission was a success.
“Uh oh, now I’ve done it, haven’t I? But look, you set yourself up for this, old man.” Charlie wasn’t sure if he was the type to speak out loud just because or if it was doing it for their sakes. Fu then turned so his attention was back on her and her mentor. “See? You had me all wrong. I’m not into fighting like the rest of you all.” Charlie wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel reassured or uneasy that Fu was ‘going against the proven path’ so to speak.
“I was just playing around with all of this energy and stuff, and observing all you guys. You know, for science, or like, whatever.” It was uneasiness; he had just admitted to watching her and the other Time Patrollers who had to deal with the rifts, and he had done all that without a clear goal in mind.
Fu’s attention then seemed to wander off; not quite paying attention to them but keeping them in his prefile as it were, as he seemed to move about. Ever since he had arrived, he never floated still, but now he seemed animated. Perhaps eager, or curious, were the words for now.
“Personally, I really don’t care how history changes. As long as I get some energy out of it when it's all said and done.” So, what was the goal then? If Fu didn’t care about his kin or the Demon Realm or timelines and just wanted energy, why do something that would put him at odds with a powerful Kai and her army?
“Hopeless, depressing timelines are a little dismal, don’t you think? And boy, you guys sure saw a lot of them, huh? I think they should be changed for the better, though. Don’t you? People should be happy; they deserve to be.” People did deserve to be happy and to live their lives in peace, but adjusting timelines recklessly didn’t make the suffering disappear; it just passed it down to the generation further down the timeline.
“If changes in history set the universe on the wrong path, if things get gloomy and bad, then I’ll use my energy to correct it; it's as simple as that.” It wasn’t that simple; nothing in life ever was. And what if the necessary changes required a massive amount of energy? Would Fu truly pay that cost? And on the account of others and not himself?
“There’s always a way. At least, that’s what I think.”
Fu was dangerous; if he hadn't been before, he was now. His belief was one shared among those who were dissatisfied with what the Time Patrollers did and what they saw as a lack of action on the Supreme Kai of Time’s part. But both of them and Fu seemed to misunderstand what a Time Patroller was meant to do.
It was their role to maintain time and its flow in all 12 universes; to let what comes may play out as it should. It was not on them to interfere nor even dare subvert it. Her heart twisted in sympathy that she could not lessen their suffering or give aid in some way, despite the strength that she possessed.
But she was of the distant future; changes that occurred in these earlier time periods and remained uncorrected would cascade to her time period. If events were left unchanged or actions of villains such as the Time Breaker army were left unchecked, the situation back home could be even worse than what it was when she had left.
“So, you just tell me what you want to know, and I’ll look into it for you, sounds good? You interested?” Fu’s attention was now fully on her, and Charlie felt her eye twitch; the damn balls on this teenager, asking such a thing of a Time Patroller with a clean record.
“Truth is, you haven’t been the most cooperative people I've ever met, so I don’t have much energy to spare, I’m afraid.” As if she would even want his energy. The very thought of that chaotic energy surging through her veins and into the core of her very being had her shudder.
“Here’s the deal, I’m thinking of making one more big change in history. Something awesome! You in?” No, no and no. No way, no how. She would break that sword of his first before that happened.
“That’s no excuse! This is a fool’s errand!” An old voice, familiar but yet surprising, yelled through the earpiece, startling Charlie enough that she almost lost focus. Oh, right, she had almost forgotten about the Elder Kai and everyone back in Conton City. Since Dabura had been turned to stone, everyone must have been turned back to normal. As relieved as she was to hear him back as his usual self, Charlie would have appreciated it if he had just spoken up in a quieter volume.
“We just got turned back to normal!” Elder Kai’s tone reminded Charlie of the young children begging their parents for this or that in the market. Charlie couldn’t blame him; everyone had been running at full power, not only dealing with the rifts that had opened up in the city and their aftermaths, but with their usual duties as well. Even now, she could feel the burning, draining strain of having pushed herself for too long. Most likely, she would be crashing soon enough.
“Hey!” Charlie had a feeling he was directing that towards her, and was proven right when the order followed. “You shouldn’t let such a dangerous foe out of your sights! We have to stop him at all costs!”
Charlie snorted; she would have done that regardless, unless she had been given an order to retreat with the Supreme Kai. And seeing that no such order was given, Charlie and her mentor fell into a fighting stance. She might not have the battle lust like that of a Saiyan, but that didn’t mean she would turn down a fight.
“Aw, I thought you guys were on my side….” Fu pouted, actually looking disappointed that no one thought his idea of making a big change in history was a good one. But his tone changed, an edge of flint appearing in his voice as he added on. “I really don’t like to get rough, but you're forcing my hand.”
His posture changed so that he was standing straight to his full height, one that easily towered over Charlie. But that didn’t scare her in the slightest; she had gone toe-to-toe with brawlers and warriors and tyrants that exceeded her in some way or another. And each one that proved the old proverb right: the bigger they were, the harder they fell.
Fu was going to be no different.