The Boy from the Future

In the autumn of AGE 755, half a year had passed since the battle on Namek. Thanks to a wish made to Shenron, New Vegeta City had become even more developed. Three hundred and twenty resurrected Saiyans had joined the city, pushing its population past six hundred. Son Goku had returned from King Kai's Planet much stronger, while Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz had officially joined the team and begun training under Kashu's system. Everything was moving in a bright new direction. But then a warning from the future shattered the peace. A blond-haired boy arrived in a Time Machine above New Vegeta City. He introduced himself as the son of Vegeta and Bulma—Trunks. He had traveled back from twenty years in the future, bringing a terrifying prophecy: in three years, a pair of evil Androids would destroy the world, and every Z Fighter would die in battle. He had come to change history and save the future. As Kashu looked at the boy from the future, complicated emotions surged within him. He had seen this part of the story in an anime in his previous life, but now that it was happening for real, the sense of urgency was completely different. Could the tragedy of the future be avoided? How great was the Androids' threat? And when would Cell, lurking deep underground, awaken?

Autumn was especially beautiful in New Vegeta City. The trees lining the streets had turned golden, and the air was filled with the feeling of harvest. Kashu sat on the roof of the council hall with a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking down over the thriving city. The three children—Kariel, Kabrun, and Kassis—were chasing one another around the training ground, their laughter bright and clear. "Dad! Dad!" Kariel flew up and threw herself into Kashu's arms. "Kabrun stole my toy!" "I didn't! It was mine to begin with!" Kabrun flew up too, puffing out her cheeks. Kassis landed silently at the edge of the roof. Her silver eyes rested on her two older sisters, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. "That's enough, you two." Kashu set down his teacup. "Kabrun, you're the older sister. You should let your little sister have her way. Kariel, toys are for sharing. You can't keep them all to yourself."

"Hmph!" The two girls glared at each other, but neither argued further. Kashu was about to continue lecturing his daughters when he suddenly sensed an abnormal surge of energy. It wasn't the ki of anyone in the camp, but something unfamiliar, with a strange distortion of space and time. "Dad, what's wrong?" Kassis asked. "Someone's coming. No—a thing is coming." Kashu stood up, fixing his eyes on a point in the sky above the city. A round object appeared out of nowhere, slowly descending with blue flames streaming behind it. It wasn't a spaceship—at least, not an ordinary one. Electricity flickered across its surface, and the air around it warped from the force of its energy. "What's that?" Kabrun asked, eyes wide with curiosity. "A Time Machine." Kashu's pupils contracted. "Someone's come here from the future." The Time Machine landed in the plaza of New Vegeta City, kicking up a cloud of dust. An alarm sounded, and Gore arrived with several warriors, surrounding the landing site. Luo Ling flew over from the training ground and hovered in the air, Ki Blasts gathering in her hands. Vegeta also emerged from the gravity chamber, arms crossed, watching coldly. "Who are you?" Gore called out. The hatch opened, and a boy stepped out.

He looked about seventeen or eighteen. His hair was golden—not the gold of a Super Saiyan, but naturally blond—and his eyes were blue-violet. He wore a jacket and carried a long sword on his back. His handsome face was tinged with sorrow, and his eyes held a weariness beyond his years. "I'm not your enemy." The boy raised both hands. "My name is Trunks. I'm from twenty years in the future." "The future?" Gore frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about?" "Let me explain." Kashu's voice came from above. He landed in the plaza and walked up to Trunks. As he looked the boy over, he already knew the answer. "Who's your father?" Trunks looked at Kashu, surprise flashing in his eyes. "You're... Mr. Kashu? My father told me about you. My father is Vegeta, and my mother is Bulma."

The plaza fell silent. Vegeta stepped out of the crowd, his face dark. "What did you say? You're my son?" "Yes, Father." Trunks looked at Vegeta, his eyes filled with complicated emotions. "In the future, you and Ms. Bulma got married and had me." Vegeta's mouth twitched. "Ridiculous! Why would I marry that Earth woman... Wait." Bulma pushed through the crowd, staring at Trunks with wide eyes. "You're saying you're my son?" "Yes, Mom." Trunks gave a wry smile. "Though you're still very young in this era." Bulma circled Trunks a few times, then cried out, "It's true! He has my eyes and Vegeta's nose! Oh my gosh, I really marry Vegeta in the future?" "Who would marry you?" Vegeta snapped. "You marry me in the future!" Bulma put her hands on her hips. "If you don't like it, take it up with your future self!" Everyone else: "..." Kashu raised a hand to stop the commotion. "Trunks, you traveled through time to this era for an important reason. Tell us." Trunks's expression grew serious. He took a Capsule from his jacket and pressed its button. It transformed into a small projector. Images appeared in the light—cities ablaze, buildings collapsed, streets strewn with bodies, and two figures wreaking havoc in the sky. "In three years, in AGE 758, Dr. Gero will finish his Android project and create Android 17 and Android 18." Trunks's voice was low and heavy. "They're unimaginably powerful. In my future, they killed almost all the Z Fighters—including Son Goku, Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, Krillin... Everyone died." The images showed Son Goku falling, a huge wound in his chest and a look of anguish on his face.

"My father was killed protecting me, too." Trunks's voice trembled. "I was the only one left alive. I took the Time Machine my mother built and came back to the past, hoping to change history." The plaza fell silent. Krillin went pale. "I... I died?" "Yes. Android 17 kicked a hole through your chest." Trunks lowered his head. "I'm sorry." "No, you don't have to apologize." Krillin clenched his fists. "The future isn't set in stone. We still have three years."

The third eye on Tien Shinhan's forehead glinted coldly. "The Androids... are they really that much stronger than us?" "Their power far surpasses that of Super Saiyans," 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, Android 17 and Android 18 were nowhere near as powerful as Cell, but things might be different in this timeline. "Where's Dr. Gero's laboratory?" Kashu asked. "Somewhere in the mountains in the south of Earth, but I don't know exactly where," Trunks said. "He went into hiding after the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed and secretly continued his Android research." "Then we'll find him first, destroy his lab, and stop him from activating the Androids." Kashu made his decision. "That's what I thought, too," Trunks said, "but I can't stay in this era for long. Time travel uses a lot of energy. I can only stay for two days." "Two days will be enough." Kashu turned around. "Gore, gather everyone. Trunks, come with us."

Everyone gathered around the table in the council hall.

Trunks explained the future in detail. "The history of the future is different from what you're experiencing now," he said. "As I remember it, not long after Mr. Son Goku returned from King Kai's Planet in AGE 754, he came down with a heart disease. There was no cure, and he died soon afterward." "Heart disease?" Son Goku rubbed his chest. "I've never had heart trouble." "You haven't in this era, but it'll happen in three years." Trunks took a small bottle from his jacket. "This is medicine from the future. Mom asked me to bring it for you, Mr. Son Goku. Take it before the heart disease strikes." Son Goku accepted the bottle and looked at Trunks. "Thank you." "You're welcome. If Mr. Son Goku survives, the future might change." "What about Frieza? Did he come back in the future?" Vegeta asked. Trunks shook his head. "After Mr. Kashu defeated Frieza and his father, King Cold, on Earth, they never appeared again. They were already dead in my time—killed by a boy who came back from the future." "A boy who came back from the future?" Krillin asked curiously. "Isn't that you?" "No, it wasn't me. It was a Saiyan hybrid named Trunks." Trunks smiled wryly. "That was me, but that future has already been changed. Now that Mr. Kashu has defeated Frieza, that timeline might not happen." "Time travel is so complicated." Krillin rubbed his temples. "So the key is the Androids," Kashu summarized. "We have to stop Dr. Gero before he activates them." "Dr. Gero's laboratory is well hidden," Trunks said. "In my time, we didn't learn he existed until Android 17 and Android 18 appeared." "But we have the Dragon Radar in this era—no, we should use an energy detector. Selipa's developing a new kind of energy detector," Bulma said. "It can scan for energy sources deep underground. Dr. Gero's laboratory must use a lot of power. We'll definitely find it." "Then let's get started."