Dragon Ball: Mori's tales

"Well, this trip wasn't a total waste of time…" Towa said, finishing her laughter. She glanced at Mori, then looked around."Blow the planet up," she commanded.

Towa and the masked Mori flew into space, leaving behind the now-forgotten empire's homeworld. Once they reached a safe distance, Towa repeated her order.

"We're out of range now. Blow the planet up."

Mori's hand began to rise, aiming toward the planet as he formed a Ki blast. But it just sat in his palm, almost as if his very being was resisting the command given by his so-called master.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry it up!" Towa barked, folding her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.

 Mori's body continued to hesitate. Frustrated, Towa pushed her staff into Mori's face, making contact with the mask as she repeated her demand.

At that moment, the Ki blast in Mori's hand was released, streaking toward the planet. The two of them watched as it slowly inched closer to the surface.

"Hohohohoho," Towa laughed as the blast finally collided with the planet, erupting into an explosion that obliterated everything in its path. The planet disintegrated soon after, reduced to nothing but debris.

"Well, it's time to go. We have a lot ahead of us, and many pests to deal with in this timeline. Hohohoho," Towa said, flying a few feet away as she formed a portal. "Come on now, we don't have all day!" she demanded, turning toward Mori.

Still floating in place, Mori's body was forced to move as her command took hold. Together, they left behind the place where some of the happiest moments of his life had once been spent.

The duo entered the portal, emerging on a random planet teeming with life.

"This is your first real task. Destroy this planet within twenty minutes, or you WILL be punished, slave," Towa commanded.

"Yes, master," Mori's masked form responded before flying down to a random village, landing abruptly and startling the inhabitants.

"Hello, stranger! What brings you to our village?" one villager asked, approaching Mori with a friendly tone. But Mori raised his arm toward the sky, palm open.

"What—what are you doing?" another villager stammered as the crowd around him began to back away, confused and frightened.

Mori, still silent, unleashed a barrage of Ki blasts into the sky. The blasts hovered at a certain point before he flicked his hand downward, sending every one of them raining down upon the village.

Screams of terror filled the air as the blasts struck, decimating buildings and lives. The chaos continued until nothing but silence and destruction remained. Mori, expressionless, surveyed the carnage.

Three minutes passed, and the blasts faded. There were no more screams, only the crackling of flames in the ruins. But then, faintly, a voice called out.

Mori walked toward the sound, each step bringing him closer to the source. As he neared the dying survivor, the words became clear.

"StarScourge… M-Mori… w-where are you?" the voice rasped before falling silent, leaving only the masked Mori standing over the body.

His arm, which had been raised to fire a final beam, lowered as the straggler's life faded. Slowly, he reached up, touching the mask on his face.

Somewhere unknown, time unknown

A series of rapid, labored breaths echoed through a dimly lit room. Footsteps followed, growing louder as a figure hurriedly entered.

"Cousin, is it done? Have you finally found a way to get that blasted thing off of him?" asked a mature yet familiar voice.

The figure, a young blue-haired woman in a lab coat, stood near a table, holding a device shaped like a dragon.

"It's done… yes, it's finally time. With this, we can use mother's creation to help the past," the woman said, turning to face the newcomer.

"But Goten, where is Trunks? We need him, too, if we're going to complete our mission and save the timeline!" she exclaimed.

Goten, now an older man resembling his father, Goku, nodded. He had a scar near his mouth and wore a sleeveless gi that showed off a glowing dragon tattoo radiating energy.

"Your brother's in the other room, preparing for a fight. We sensed 'his' Ki heading toward Earth again, but now that you've finished the device, we don't need to wait anymore. Bulla, you'll finally have the chance to meet Auntie, Uncle, and everyone else!" Goten said excitedly before running off to fetch Trunks.

Goten entered the next room, where Trunks stood, dressed in battle gear—black pants, shirt, and boots. His purple hair had grown long, and he appeared battle-hardened, an eyepatch covering his left eye.

"Trunks! You won't believe it—Bulla's done! We can go back and stop our past selves from going through all of this!" Goten exclaimed, his hope radiating through the room.Trunks, adjusting his boots, glanced at Goten before retrieving a sword from the corner.

"Dammit, Goten… why do you and Bulla keep searching for other solutions? Don't you remember what 'he' did to us? To our families? Even if we go back in time, what about us? He's stronger than ever, and we still can't find his power source… because 'she' is hiding somewhere we can't reach," Trunks said angrily.

"Yeah, but we can at least stop our younger selves from ever facing this nightmare!" Goten clenched his fist, drawing blood in his frustration.

"No, Goten. I'm done running. I'm the prince, dammit. I'll face 'Mori' no matter what," Trunks replied, determined.

Just then, Bulla entered, announcing that the time machine was ready. Goten nodded, but all three of them suddenly froze, sensing the familiar energy that had haunted them for over twenty years.

"Dammit, Goten! Your useless talk distracted me—now he's closer than ever!" Trunks shouted, rushing outside.

"Bulla, start the time machine! I'll stop your brother from getting himself killed!" Goten ordered before chasing after Trunks.

Bulla nodded and ran to the back, preparing the machine for their escape.

Meanwhile, Trunks flew into the sky, meeting the man who had caused them so much pain. His hair flared as he transformed into a Super Saiyan God, throwing a punch.

Goten arrived right behind him, his own transformation manifesting differently—his red hair tipped with purple. The two launched simultaneous attacks, but Mori, their foe, effortlessly dodged both.

He retaliated with a kick to Trunks and a Ki blast that sent Goten flying.

Trunks quickly recovered, throwing another punch, which Mori blocked. Mori responded with a swift punch aimed at Trunks' lower stomach, but Trunks anticipated it, catching his fist and using the momentum to hurl Mori toward Goten.

Goten, ready for the opportunity, unleashed a powerful kick, striking Mori in the chest and sending him flying backward. Trunks, moving in sync with his partner, flew behind Mori, flipping him upside down and locking his arms with his legs. They hurtled downward at breakneck speed, Trunks releasing Mori just before impact, allowing him to crash violently into the ground below.

*Huff huff*

Trunks hovered in the air, catching his breath as he watched the crater where Mori had landed.

"Trunks, we can sense his energy—he's not done yet! We need to press the attack before he regains his strength!" Goten called out, flying down toward Mori's impact point.

"Yeah, I know," Trunks grunted, joining Goten in the charge.

Just before they reached the crater, Mori's energy spiked, and a Ki blade shot out from the rubble, stabbing Goten in the shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Goten staggered back but quickly twisted his hand counterclockwise, using his energy to heal the wound.

"Ugh, old man! That's going to cost me some energy to fix," Goten muttered, glaring at Mori as he emerged from the crater.

Trunks, seeing that Goten was fine, immediately launched a barrage of Ki blasts at Mori. Mori deflected them all with ease, barely exerting himself. Trunks growled in frustration, teleporting behind Mori and aiming a powerful downward kick at his head. Mori raised his arm to block the blow, but before he could counter, a well-timed Ki blast from Goten hit him squarely in the back, knocking him off balance.

"Finish them already! This has gone on for over twenty years," a voice whispered inside Mori's mind, cold and commanding.

"Yes, master," Mori murmured, his voice barely audible.

Suddenly, Mori's body stopped mid-air, halting his backward trajectory. He turned to face the two Saiyans, raising his arms above his head. Energy began to gather rapidly, forming a massive sphere of destructive power. Without warning, Mori unleashed it—a massive explosion that engulfed the area in a blinding white light.

Goten and Trunks barely had time to react. The shockwave hit them hard, sending them both crashing into the ground, the searing heat of the blast burning their skin.