The Youth from the Future

In the autumn of Age 755, half a year had passed since the Battle of Namek. Under the wish of the Eternal Dragon, New Vegeta City had become more refined; three hundred and twenty resurrected Saiyans had joined the city, pushing the population past the six-hundred mark. Son Goku had returned from King Kai's Planet with his strength greatly increased, while Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz had officially integrated into the team and begun training under Kashu's system. Everything was moving in a positive direction. However, a warning from the future shattered this tranquility. A blond youth appeared in the sky above New Vegeta City in a time machine, claiming to be the son of Vegeta and Bulma—Trunks. He had traveled back from twenty years in the future, bringing with him a terrifying prophecy: in three years, a pair of evil androids would destroy the world, and all the Z Fighters would perish. His arrival was meant to change history and save the future. Watching this youth from the future, complex emotions surged within Kashu. He had seen this plotline in the anime during his past life, but experiencing it in reality brought a completely different sense of urgency. Could the tragedy of the future be avoided? How great was the threat of the androids? And when would Cell, lurking deep underground, awaken?

The autumn in New Vegeta City was exceptionally beautiful. The trees lining the streets were dyed in gold, and the air was filled with the scent of harvest. Kashu sat on the roof of the council hall, holding a cup of hot tea, overlooking the increasingly prosperous city. Three children—Kariel, Kabrun, and Kassis—were chasing each other in the training grounds, their laughter crisp and pleasant. "Daddy! Daddy!" Kariel flew up and threw herself into Kashu's arms. "Kabrun stole my toy!" "I did not! It was mine to begin with!" Kabrun flew up as well, puffing out her cheeks. Kassis landed silently on the edge of the roof, his silver eyes watching his two sisters with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. "Stop arguing, both of you." Kashu set down his tea. "Kabrun, you are the older sister; you should yield to your younger sister. Kariel, toys can be shared; you cannot keep them all to yourself."

"Hmph!" The two girls glared at each other but stopped arguing. Just as Kashu was about to continue lecturing his daughters, he suddenly sensed an abnormal energy fluctuation. It was not the ki of anyone in the camp, but a strange aura carrying a sense of spacetime distortion. "Daddy, what is it?" Kassis asked. "Someone is coming. No, something is coming." Kashu stood up, his gaze locked onto a point in the sky above the city. In the heavens, a circular object appeared out of thin air, trailing blue exhaust as it slowly descended. It was not a spaceship—at least, not an ordinary one. Its surface flickered with electricity, and the surrounding air distorted from the impact of its energy. "What is that?" Kabrun asked, her mouth agape in curiosity. "A time machine." Kashu's pupils contracted. "Someone has traveled here from the future." The time machine landed in the square of New Vegeta City, kicking up a cloud of dust. Alarms blared, and Gore led several warriors to the square, surrounding the landing site. Luo Ling flew over from the training grounds, hovering in the air with energy blasts gathered in her hands. Vegeta also emerged from the gravity room, arms crossed, watching with cold eyes. "Who goes there?" Gore shouted. The hatch opened, and a youth stepped out.

He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with blond hair (not the golden hue of a Super Saiyan, but a natural blond), blue-violet eyes, and was wearing a jacket with a long sword strapped to his back. His face was handsome yet melancholic, and his eyes held a weariness that transcended his age. "I am not an enemy," the youth said, raising his hands. "My name is Trunks, and I come from twenty years in the future." "The future?" Gore frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?" "Let me explain." Kashu's voice came from above. Kashu descended into the square and walked up to Trunks. He looked the youth up and down, already knowing the answer in his heart. "Who is your father?" Trunks looked at Kashu, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes. "Are you... Mr. Kashu? I have heard my father mention you. My father is Vegeta, and my mother is Bulma."

The square fell into a dead silence. Vegeta stepped out from the crowd, his face dark. "What did you say? You are my son?" "Yes, Father." Trunks looked at Vegeta, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "In the future world, you and Ms. Bulma married and had me." The corners of Vegeta's mouth twitched. "Absurd! How could I possibly... with that Earth woman... wait." Bulma pushed through the crowd, her eyes wide as she stared at Trunks. "You say you are my son?" "Yes, Mother." Trunks offered a wry smile. "Though you are still very young in this era." Bulma circled Trunks a few times, then exclaimed, "It's true! He has my eyes and Vegeta's nose! My god, did I really marry Vegeta in the future?" "Who would want to marry you!" Vegeta roared. "You did marry me in the future!" Bulma put her hands on her hips. "If you don't like it, go find your future self!" The crowd: "..." Kashu raised a hand to stop the farce. "Trunks, you traveled through time to this era for a reason. Speak." Trunks's expression turned solemn. He took a capsule from his pocket, pressed the button, and it transformed into a small projector. Amidst the light, images emerged—burning cities, collapsed buildings, streets littered with corpses, and two figures wantonly wreaking havoc in the sky. "Three years from now, in Age 758, Dr. Gero will complete his Android project, creating Android 17 and 18." Trunks's voice was low and heavy. "They are unimaginably powerful. In the future, they killed almost all the Z Fighters—including Son Goku, Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, Krillin... everyone died." In the images, Son Goku appeared, falling with a massive wound in his chest, his face filled with resentment.

"Father was also killed while trying to protect me." Trunks's voice trembled. "I was the only one who survived. I took the time machine my mother built to return to the past, hoping to change history." The square was deathly silent. Krillin's face turned pale. "I... I died?" "Yes. You were killed by Android 17, who kicked a hole through your chest." Trunks lowered his head. "I'm sorry." "No, you don't need to apologize." Krillin clenched his fists. "The future is not set in stone. We still have three years."

Tien Shinhan's third eye glinted with cold light. "Androids... are they really that much stronger than us?" "Their combat power is far beyond that of a Super Saiyan," Trunks said. "In my time, no one could defeat them." Kashu remained silent for a long time. He knew about the androids—in the original story, the combat power of 17 and 18 was far inferior to Cell, but in this timeline, the world of Future Trunks might be different. "Where is Dr. Gero's laboratory?" Kashu asked. "In a mountainous region in the southern part of Earth, but I don't know the exact location," Trunks said. "He went into seclusion after the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed and has been secretly researching the androids." "Then we will find him early, destroy his laboratory, and stop the androids from being activated," Kashu decided. "That is what I thought as well," Trunks said, "but I cannot stay in this era for too long. Time travel consumes a massive amount of energy; I can only stay for two days." "Two days is enough." Kashu turned around. "Gore, gather everyone. Trunks, come with us."

In the council hall, everyone sat together.

Trunks detailed the situation of the future. "The history of the future is different from what you are experiencing now," Trunks said. "In my memory, shortly after Mr. Son Goku returned from King Kai's Planet in Age 754, he contracted a heart virus. There was no cure for this disease, and he passed away soon after." "A heart virus?" Son Goku touched his own chest. "I've never had a heart virus." "It doesn't exist in this era, but it will break out in three years." Trunks took a small bottle from his pocket. "This is a special medicine from the future world that my mother asked me to bring to Mr. Son Goku. Please take it before the virus strikes." Son Goku took the bottle and looked at Trunks. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. If Mr. Son Goku can survive, the future might change." "What about Frieza? Did Frieza return in the future?" Vegeta asked. Trunks shook his head. "Frieza and his father, King Cold, never appeared again after being defeated by Mr. Kashu on Earth. In my time, they were already dead—killed by a youth who came from the future." "A youth from the future?" Krillin asked curiously. "Isn't that you?" "No, it wasn't me. It was a half-Saiyan named 'Trunks.' That was me." Trunks gave a wry smile. "But that future has already been changed. Since Mr. Kashu has already defeated Frieza, that timeline might not happen." "Time travel is truly complicated," Krillin said, rubbing his temples. "So the key is the androids," Kashu summarized. "We must stop Dr. Gero before he activates them." "Dr. Gero's laboratory is very well hidden," Trunks said. "In the future, we didn't know of his existence until 17 and 18 appeared. But in this era, we have the Dragon Radar—no, we should use energy detectors. Selipa is currently researching a new type of energy detector," Bulma said. "It can scan for energy sources deep underground. Dr. Gero's laboratory must have a massive power supply; we will definitely be able to find it." "Then let's begin."