Thread by @Herms98

May 12th, Age 767 (Bad Future Edition): at 10 AM on an island 9km southwest of South City, 17 and 18 begin their assault. Vegeta and co are mowed down, leaving Gohan sole survivor. Even the dragon balls are no use, since Pilaf and co wasted them on a dumb wish. #HistoryofEver

May 12th, Age 767 (Better Future Edition): 19 and 20 appear on schedule, but Our Heroes are ready. Well, Goku gets a bit sick, but Vegeta covers for him. While 19 and 20 don’t last long, 17 and 18 make short work of the gang. And that’s just the beginning of their problems…

Yes, it’s another busy day. May 12th has the honor of being one of the few specific dates mentioned in the series, although the year 767 comes from the Daizenshuu 7 timeline. If there’s any number pun significance to this date, I haven’t been able to find it.

Things kick off with 19+20 at 10 AM, Goku gets sick, Vegeta destroys 19, while 20 is revealed as Gero and flees to his lab, where 17+18 kill him and revive 16. Everyone loses. Piccolo flies off to merge with Kami. Trunks/Bulma/Gohan investigate the broken down time machine.

By now it’s the afternoon (per Daizenshuu 7). Cell attacks Ginger Town. Piccolo and Kami merge and somewhat cleverly trick Cell into revealing all. Cell escapes, but Trunks+Kuririn investigate Gero’s lab, where they destroy the present day larval Cell and obtain 17’s blueprints.

Based on these blueprints, Bulma and Dr. Briefs begin looking for a weakness in the androids. Meanwhile, Lapis, Lazuli, and Robo Gebo take the scenic route to Goku’s house, as Cell gradually gathers strength by absorbing humans. And thus ends May 12th.

Getting back to Trunks’ future: one of Toyotaro’s Jump Carnival Bonus comics (collected in DBS vol.2) details how Pilaf and co wished themselves young again in this timeline, and incidentally explains that Gohan survives because he’s sent off to gather the dragon balls.

(Both the anime and this bonus comic portray 17+18 as appearing right off the bat in Trunks’ timeline. Personally I’ve always liked the idea that 19+20 appear there too but are simply forgotten by history after their quick defeat. So much simpler! But I guess it’s not to be)

In the “main” timeline, Pilaf and co likewise wish themselves young, as explained in the BoG movie (but inexcusably left unexplained in the DBS anime’s BoG arc). The exact timing is unspecified, but it might still be May 12th, since Dende revives the dragon balls anyway.

In contrast to this “wishing to be young” scenario, in the Daizenshuu 7 character secrets page (written years before BoG) Toriyama explained that Pilaf and co were attempting world domination around this time, but postponed their plans due to Cell.
kanzenshuu.com/translations/d…

As for the late lamented 19: Gero considered him his only success (since he actually obeyed orders) and relied on him to conduct his own android conversion process into 20. Gero’s motives for becoming an android? Immorality of course! Funny how that worked out…

And lest we forget, Gero designed 19 based on a doll that was on display in a conquered enemy base, back in his Red Ribbon days. Which I guess means Gero designed his own outfit as 20 to match the doll…? kanzenshuu.com/translations/d…

Tomorrow: the awakening!