"Wake up, Trunks. Trunks!"
In the haze of unconsciousness, Trunks vaguely heard someone calling his name. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"Mo-Mother."
Bulma's figure came into view. As soon as Trunks regained full awareness, he sat up abruptly from the bed.
"Thank goodness, Trunks! Are you alright? Is there anywhere you still feel uncomfortable?"
"Honestly, Vegeta… Even if it was to stop Trunks, couldn't she have held back a little?"
Seeing that Trunks was unharmed, Bulma let out a sigh of relief, then turned to complain at Vegeta, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, a cold snort the only response she offered.
"Father, Mother, Yuujin-san, everyone—what's going on? Why is Android 18 here with you?"
No longer irrational like before, Trunks asked, still puzzled. He couldn't understand why that brutal woman, Android 18, would be with Yuujin-san and the others.
"Trunks, it's been more than three years since you left. A lot has happened here during that time," Yuujin began, stepping forward.
"Dr. Gero and his androids also appeared in our world but we've already dealt with them. Although in your world Androids 17 and 18 are ruthless and destroyed humanity, in our world, they've done nothing wrong. In fact, Android 18 is now one of our allies at the temple."
Yuujin explained briefly what had happened in their world.
Trunks wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. Previously, his hatred for the androids had caused him to lose control at the sight of 18, but after Yuujin's explanation, he realized it was his misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I was too impulsive and caused trouble for you all."
Standing up, Trunks bowed apologetically.
"Well, you do owe us an apology, but it's not just us—you need to apologize to 18 as well," Yuujin said, patting Trunks on the shoulder.
This foolish boy had unleashed an astonishing amount of power in his rage earlier, and Yuujin's arm still ached from blocking his sword strike.
Acknowledging his fault, Trunks nodded, walked up to Android 18, and bowed deeply.
"Miss 18, I am truly sorry. I mistook you for the 18 from my world. Please forgive my rash and disrespectful behavior."
Despite Trunks' sincere apology, 18 merely huffed in response, showing little interest in forgiving him.
This brat had suddenly appeared earlier and attacked her outright. While his actions were understandable, she still didn't feel particularly warm toward him.
"Alright, 18. We've already explained to you about the alternate timeline. In Trunks' world, you and 17 destroyed humanity, so it's only natural he lost control when he saw you."
"He's still just a kid, and he's already apologized sincerely. Can't you let it go?" Yuujin intervened, trying to ease the tension.
Although she was still slightly annoyed, the thought of Yuujin shielding her earlier softened 18's heart.
"Fine. For your sake, I'll let it slide this time."
With 18 forgiving Trunks, the tension dissipated, and the atmosphere in the room lightened considerably.
"Trunks, now tell us about your situation. Didn't you already return to your own world? Why are you here again?"
Three years ago, Yuujin and the others had personally seen Trunks off. With his current strength, he should have been able to defeat 17 and 18 and save his world. Could something unexpected have happened?
With everyone looking at him, Trunks explained:
"The time machine Mother built doesn't guarantee precise time jumps every time. This time, something went wrong, and I didn't make it back to my world. For you, it's been years, but for me, it was just an instant."
"I see."
"Well, that's not a big problem. Just jump again, and you should be able to return to your world," Yuujin replied with a nod, relieved that nothing worse had occurred.
"But my time machine has been destroyed…"
Hearing this, Trunks glanced begrudgingly at Vegeta. Without the time machine, he couldn't return to his world. And without returning, no one could stop 17 and 18 there—a dire situation.
"You're the one who rushed out. Don't think of blaming me!" Vegeta retorted, unwilling to take responsibility. Besides, she wasn't the only one who damaged the time machine—Cilipa played a big part too!
Although Trunks wouldn't actually blame Vegeta, the thought of being stranded in this timeline without a way home left him deeply anxious.
"Trunks, there's no need to worry," Bulma said.
"If your time machine is broken, then use ours."
"Yours?"
"Of course! Did you think we've done nothing these past few years? After you left, I used the data from your machine to build one of our own. It's even more advanced than yours. We just need to tweak it a bit, and it'll be ready."
"That's great!"
Hearing this, Trunks' face lit up with joy.
"We're already working on the adjustments, but it'll take a little time. In the meantime, why don't we celebrate? There are also two people we want to introduce to you. You're going to be very surprised!"
Bulma's mysterious tone made Trunks curious.
The maids had prepared a lavish feast, and everyone gathered in the dining hall. It was there that Trunks finally met the two individuals Bulma mentioned.
"Trunks, this is Trunksia, my child with Yuujin. She has purple hair like you, and even her name is only one letter different from yours."
"How about that? Surprised, aren't you?"
"And this is Goteno, my child with Yuujin," Chi-Chi added.
As Bulma and Chi-Chi introduced their children, Trunks was utterly shocked.
Trunksia, Goteno—children of Mother and Chi-Chi with Yuujin?
Shocked didn't begin to describe his emotions. He was absolutely floored!
To be continued...
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