A Warning from the Future

Age 763, Autumn.

A year after the battle on Planet Namek, Earth's scars had quietly healed, but life at Turtle Hermit House had never truly been peaceful. That morning, an unfamiliar spacecraft crashed into the coconut grove west of Turtle Hermit House, gouging out a shallow, smoking crater. Its hull was covered in scorch marks from atmospheric reentry. The hatch automatically sprang open from the impact, and a purple-haired boy stumbled out.

He wore an old Frieza Force standard-issue battle suit, covered in patches and burn marks, with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his left arm. But what truly left Krillin frozen in place was the boy's face—the curve of his brow, the line of his jaw, and that cold, brooding air about him. He looked remarkably like Vegeta.

"Is Miss Bulma here?" the boy asked, his voice hoarse and urgent. "I need to see her. And Son Goku—is Mr. Goku here?"

Before Krillin could answer, Bulma rushed out of Turtle Hermit House. She held a freshly brewed cup of coffee, her robe hanging loosely around her, but the moment she saw the purple-haired boy in the coconut grove, the cup slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground. Seeing her, the boy dropped to one knee, his voice suddenly becoming incredibly soft. "Mother."

The entire beach fell silent, leaving only the sound of the waves. Bulma stood there in a daze, her lips moving several times before she managed to force out a voice. "What did you say?"

"My name is Trunks. The son of Vegeta and Bulma, from twenty years in the future."

In the living room of Turtle Hermit House, Trunks told them everything from the beginning. In his timeline, Son Goku died of a viral heart disease in Age 764. Eight months later, Android 17 and Android 18 appeared and killed all the Z Fighters. Vegeta, Tien Shinhan, Piccolo, Krillin—all of them died in battle. Only he and his mother, Bulma, survived. It had taken him more than ten years to repair this spaceship. He had traveled back with a special medicine for Goku's heart disease, hoping to change that future.

He opened a refrigerated capsule, took out a small vial of medicine, and placed it on the coffee table. The clear liquid inside swayed faintly, and the label bore his mother's handwriting—"For Goku. Take before Age 764."

"In my timeline, Mr. Goku died of a viral heart disease. This medicine can cure it." Trunks stood and gave Goku a solemn bow. "I'm not a hero, and I'm not a warrior. I just don't want to see Mother crying alone in secret anymore."

Goku accepted the medicine. He did not look at the label, only at Trunks, then nodded earnestly. "Thank you."

Vegeta stood in a corner of the living room with his arms crossed over his chest, not saying a word from beginning to end. His gaze never left Trunks's face—not out of indifference, but because of an emotion even he himself could not define. Bulma sat beside Trunks, trying her best to maintain a scientist's composure, but her faintly trembling fingers as she poured coffee betrayed her. Tien Shinhan leaned against the doorframe, all three eyes closed as he sensed the boy's qi—its nature was indeed highly similar to Vegeta's, but gentler, carrying a resilience that could only settle into someone after enduring prolonged despair.

Talos came down from the second floor. The instant Trunks saw him, his pupils contracted sharply. He rose to his feet on instinct, uncertainty appearing in his voice for the first time. "Who are you? In my timeline, there was no one like you in the Turtle Hermit School."

The atmosphere in the entire living room abruptly froze. Bulma set down the coffee pot, Vegeta's brow furrowed deeply, and Goku's characteristic smile faded—Talos did not exist in Trunks's timeline. That future had never had him from the very beginning.

Talos sat down across from Trunks, his tone as steady as ever. "Go on. When did Vegeta die in your timeline?"

Trunks fell silent for a moment. "The first time they fought. Android 17 and Android 18 attacked together. After Mr. Goku died of his illness, no one could stop them. After Vegeta died, Mr. Tien Shinhan and Mr. Piccolo were killed one after another. Before Mr. Krillin went into battle for the last time, he entrusted this to my mother."

He took a small bundle from his clothes and unwrapped it layer by layer. Inside was a Turtle Hermit School disciple's wristguard—the orange had faded for the most part, but the black character for "Turtle" was still clear. Krillin walked over from the corner, his fingers trembling slightly as he accepted it. It was his own wristguard—the one his future self had removed and given to Trunks before heading to his death. He clenched it tightly, remaining silent for a long time. Then he looked up at Trunks. His eyes were red, but his voice was steady. "You've had it rough. Carrying all this alone, flying here from the future."

Trunks lowered his head. "I only delivered the medicine. The one who truly carried it all was Miss Bulma—for twenty years."

Bulma could not hold it in any longer. She turned away to wipe her tears. Vegeta finally spoke, his voice as cold and hard as ever. "You couldn't defeat the androids in the future, so you came back here begging for help. You say you're Vegeta's son—my son would not be this weak."

"Vegeta!" Bulma turned and glared at him.

Trunks stood and met Vegeta's eyes directly. He spoke word by word, his voice shaking, but every word was enunciated clearly. "I didn't come to ask for help. I came to deliver the medicine. My mission isn't to ask you to fight for me. It's to make sure Mr. Goku survives. If he survives, all of you can survive. In my timeline, Mother spent over ten years repairing this spaceship. She slept only three hours a day. The rest of the time, she spent repairing the ship and developing the medicine. She sent me here to save Mr. Goku—not to save herself. You ask why I came back? Because I don't want to see Mother cry alone anymore."

Vegeta was silent for a long time. Then he turned his head and muttered something only Bulma could hear. "That kid is just as stubborn as you."

Tien Shinhan opened his third eye and raised the most crucial question. "Trunks, how strong were Android 17 and Android 18 in your timeline? Were they stronger than Frieza?"

"Their base power levels far exceeded Frieza's final form. And they have infinite energy. They never get tired."

"Infinite energy." Krillin repeated the words, looking down at the faded wristguard in his hand. "Then we cut off the flow of their energy. Not fight it—block it." He put the wristguard on, then looked up at Talos. "You said it before—the advanced application of the qi net, severance. I've waited a year."

Talos nodded, then turned to Trunks. "Trunks, tell us everything you can about when Android 17 and Android 18 will be activated, how they fight, and their personality weaknesses."

"17 is more aggressive, while 18 is calmer. They won't actively kill civilians, but they consider all Z Fighters targets for elimination. In my timeline, they were activated in May next year—May 12th, Age 764."

"Where?"

"The southwestern islands of South City, in Dr. Gero's underground laboratory."

Bulma had already recovered her professional focus as a scientist. She pulled up a satellite map and traced a route across the screen with her finger. "The southwestern islands of South City—there are more than two hundred islands, the seafloor terrain is complicated, and the underground laboratory was likely built beneath the seabed rock layers." She looked up at Trunks. "Did your mother have the laboratory's exact coordinates?"

"Yes." Trunks recited a string of precise latitude and longitude coordinates. "It took her nearly ten years to pinpoint them. But Mother said that Dr. Gero in this timeline might have more variables—because our time travel itself may alter his actions."

"The butterfly effect." Bulma frowned. "Then we have to act before Dr. Gero can react. But only two people can enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at once."

"Goku and Vegeta go in first." Talos stood and looked around at every face in the living room. "They're Saiyans. One year inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber equals one day outside. When they come out in a day, their base power levels should have broken through the Super Saiyan threshold. Trunks, train with Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Piccolo, and Nappa—you need to integrate your fighting style with our tactical system. Bulma, analyze the flight data from Trunks's ship and the laboratory's detailed structure. Find a way to disable Android 17 and Android 18 before they activate. At this time tomorrow, Goku and Vegeta will come out. The day after that—we strike Dr. Gero's laboratory directly."

Everyone answered at once. Vegeta paused briefly at the door—looking in Trunks's direction—but all he said was a cold prompt to Goku. "Let's go, Kakarot. Don't waste my time."

Goku jumped up with a smile, waved to Trunks, then gestured "see you in a year" to Krillin and Tien Shinhan. Though for him, "a year later" meant tomorrow—the time inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber still passed second by second. The two entered the depths of The Lookout. Mr. Popo slowly closed the stone door, and the white light spilling through the crack turned the entire temple silver.

On the plaza of The Lookout, Krillin began explaining the construction principles of the qi net to Trunks. Tien Shinhan stood to the left, Piccolo to the right, while Nappa crouched nearby and listened intently. Chiaotzu floated in the air, taking notes with his psychic powers. Trunks stood in the middle, watching this group of people who had all died in his timeline now gathered around him to discuss tactics. The boy's eyes reddened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and carefully recorded every detail.

Back at Turtle Hermit House, Bulma spent the entire night calculating from the satellite map and Trunks's ship's flight data. At daybreak, she closed her computer, rubbed her bloodshot eyes, and said to Talos, who had also stayed awake by her side all night, "I've simulated the laboratory's structural layout. Three underground levels, with the main laboratory on the lowest level. The energy core is on the second level—if Krillin can use his qi net to sever the energy hub, Android 17 and Android 18's activation sequence will be interrupted. But Dr. Gero will definitely have a backup energy source."

"I'll handle the backup energy source." Talos looked at the ocean beyond the window, its surface beginning to pale with dawn. "Go get some rest. Everyone will need you tomorrow."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to The Lookout. Goku and Vegeta are about to come out."

The white stone of The Lookout's plaza was dyed pale gold by the morning light. The stone door slowly opened, and two figures emerged side by side. Golden flames of qi wrapped around Goku's body, his hair standing tall in a brilliant gold, and unprecedented fighting spirit burned within his green eyes—Super Saiyan. His base power level had surpassed one hundred thousand in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and his Super Saiyan form had soared directly past five million. Vegeta followed close behind, also golden-haired and green-eyed, with distinctive violet patterns woven through his aura—he had finally caught up.

Talos stood in the center of the plaza as his golden aura gradually dispersed. The three stood side by side, sunlight stretching their shadows long behind them. Vegeta looked at Talos with the faintest curl at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like you haven't been idle either." Talos did not answer, but the corner of his mouth lifted as well. His base power level had broken through four hundred thousand, nearing twenty million in Super Saiyan form. But what truly pleased him was not his own numbers—it was the two people before him. One was the brother he had taught since childhood, and the other was a prince who never bowed his head. Now, they stood side by side in the dawn light of The Lookout.

Everyone gathered on the plaza of The Lookout. Goku and Vegeta's Super Saiyan forms shone in the morning light. Krillin formed hand seals and demonstrated how the qi net could simulate severing the androids' energy flow. Tien Shinhan and Piccolo attacked simultaneously from both sides, precisely locking onto the virtual target's center—Nappa was no longer within the strike zone, because even his positioning had improved. Watching these Z Fighters who had long since died in his memories, Trunks's lips curved into a faint smile.

"Are you ready?" Talos stood at the front of the group.

"Ready!" everyone answered at once. Several figures shot into the sky from The Lookout and flew toward the southwestern islands of South City.