Future

"You're a Saiyan, aren't you?"

Before Trunks could speak, Vegeta questioned him first. "Anxiuer said you're from the future. Is that true?"

Trunks froze.

He gave Vegeta a deep look, then swept his gaze over the others before slowly speaking. "That's right. I did come from the future."

Everyone was astonished, but with An Xiu vouching for him, no one doubted it much.

"Um... could you tell me your name first? I'm Son Goku!"

Son Goku smiled at Trunks.

Hearing that, Trunks hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but for certain special reasons, I can't tell you my name yet."

"Huh?!"

Son Goku was stunned, and the others were equally confused.

"You can't even say your own name? That's too strange..." Tien Shinhan said in surprise.

Yamcha beside him chimed in, "Yeah, hiding your own name..."

"Hmph. Boring."

Vegeta shot Trunks a disdainful glance, then walked off to the side.

Seeing this, Trunks lowered his head briefly. Then he took a deep breath, raised his head, and explained:

"There's actually a reason I traveled back from the future... but from the looks of things now, it doesn't seem that important anymore."

"What do you mean..."

Son Goku was completely baffled.

The others wore equally puzzled expressions.

An Xiu watched from the side, smiling without saying a word.

At that moment, Bulma flew her airship over from the distance and landed there.

"What is with you guys? You finished fighting and left me there all by myself... And Krillin, honestly, I risked my life to save you with a Senzu Bean!"

The moment Bulma stepped off the airship, she launched into an endless stream of complaints. Krillin could only apologize again and again.

Her gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on An Xiu and Trunks.

"Long time no see, An Xiu. I thought you wouldn't be coming to this fight."

Bulma was still somewhat surprised by An Xiu's sudden appearance. Ever since they returned from Namek last year, she had never seen him again.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Bulma."

An Xiu greeted her politely.

"Who is this young man?"

Bulma looked at Trunks in confusion.

Trunks was looking at her too.

He had been staring at her ever since she got off the airship.

But when Bulma's gaze fell on his face, he instinctively looked away.

"Bulma, this young man traveled back from the future. An Xiu brought him here for us to meet," Son Goku explained.

"Huh? He traveled back from the future?!"

Bulma was startled.

She looked at Trunks and suddenly noticed the Capsule Corporation emblem printed on his clothes.

Her expression turned astonished. "Why do your clothes have my company's logo on them?"

"Ah... that's..."

Trunks hurriedly explained, "I did work as an intern at Capsule Corporation."

"Wow, what a coincidence."

Bulma asked curiously, "Little brother, what's your name? How old are you this year?"

Trunks shook his head. "I can't reveal my name yet. As for my age, I'm seventeen."

"So it's supposed to be a secret."

Bulma continued asking curiously:

"Why did you travel back from the future?"

"And how did you travel back from the future?"

Trunks stammered under the barrage of questions. He thought for a long while before slowly answering:

"Everyone, here's the situation. At ten in the morning on May 12th, three years from now..."

Trunks cleverly concealed his identity as he explained the Androids, the Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero, and the tragic state of the future world to those before him.

"I relied on... the time machine developed by Ms. Bulma to return to the past. That's how I was able to stand before all of you."

As Trunks spoke, he took a box containing Hoi-Poi Capsules from his chest, opened one of them, and displayed the time machine before everyone.

Looking at the time machine, then recalling everything he had said earlier,

everyone found it unbelievable.

"Hmph. You're saying that in that timeline, because An Xiu didn't exist, and because Kakarot died of heart disease, everyone lost to those two Androids? Even I, the great Vegeta, who became a Super Saiyan, died?"

Vegeta frowned and glared at Trunks with an annoyed expression. "What kind of joke is this?!"

Trunks did not dare look at him. With his head lowered, he explained:

"That's exactly why I said my coming back is no longer that important... With everyone's current strength, destroying the Androids would be effortless."

After hearing Trunks's explanation, the doubts in everyone's hearts only grew. Their uncertain gazes occasionally flicked toward An Xiu, but no one spoke to question him.

In truth, An Xiu's appearance and very existence had always been mysterious to them.

His identity, his purpose, why he was so powerful... all of it was a mystery to everyone.

Of course, Son Goku simply had not thought that much about it. He was not even considering why An Xiu did not exist in Trunks's timeline.

As for Vegeta, he had considered it, but he did not care in the slightest. His only goal was to become stronger.

At that moment, Trunks suddenly spoke to Son Goku. "Goku, this is a special medicine I brought for you from the future. I don't know whether you'll still develop heart disease now, but it's better to have it on hand."

With that, he tossed a Hoi-Poi Capsule to him.

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Son Goku caught the capsule and grinned. "I was just thinking about how I should tell Chi-Chi about this. What a headache, hahaha..."

Trunks smiled as well. He gave Son Gohan one final look before speaking:

"All right, now that things have come to this, I'll be taking my leave. If we have the chance, I hope we'll meet again."

As he spoke, he climbed into the time machine.

"You're leaving so soon? Won't you stay a little longer?"

Bulma asked reluctantly. She felt that this young man was strangely familiar, as though there was something different about him.

Besides, she still had so many things she wanted to ask him, especially about the time machine.

Hearing Bulma's words, Trunks fell silent for a moment before saying, "No. I need to get back as soon as possible, or my family in the future will worry."