In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
After completing the final round of training, Vegeta successfully helped Son Gohan break through to Super Saiyan Second Stage.
Today, at this very moment, was the day Vegeta would leave this timeline together with Bulma and Trunks.
In the courtyard before the Capsule House, a large time machine stood on the ground.
Gohan, Bulma, and Trunks were saying their goodbyes, while Vegeta had already taken a seat inside the machine, performing final adjustments.
For more than three months, the Bulma of this timeline had been researching the time machine nonstop.
She had even built a small scale time machine and left it behind for Gohan.
The purpose was simple.
If trouble ever arose in the future, Gohan could cross time and space to seek help from them in the past.
Vegeta did not say much about these arrangements.
He only left Gohan with a few words while guiding his training.
Since Gohan had chosen to stay, then even if Earth never faced another major crisis, he could never afford to slack off.
As a warrior, standing still meant falling behind.
Only by growing stronger and stronger could one guard against the future.
If someone waited until an enemy appeared before trying to become stronger, where would the time come from to resist?
The android crisis was the clearest example.
It had been born from complacency, from believing that the world had entered an era of eternal peace.
And the result was this devastated world.
Once everything was ready and all instructions were given, Bulma and Trunks boarded the time machine.
From behind the transparent cockpit canopy, the three of them waved goodbye to Gohan.
Finally, as Vegeta pressed the activation button, the time machine slowly lifted into the air, wrapped in a translucent, special glow.
A few moments later, it vanished instantly, as if it had never existed at all, leaving no trace behind.
Watching the time machine disappear, the smile on Gohan's face slowly faded.
So that Aunt Bulma and Trunks could leave without any burden, he had forced himself to look cheerful.
In truth, he was deeply reluctant to part with them.
He had even considered traveling to the past with them.
But after much thought, he knew he could not leave.
If even he left, then who would protect Earth in this world?
Even if it meant walking alone into the future, he had to keep moving forward under that weight.
"Perhaps we will meet again someday.
When that time comes, I will challenge you with even greater strength.
And Trunks, when we meet again, I really look forward to seeing how strong you have become. I know you will not disappoint me."
Thinking about the future, Gohan knew he could not cling to the past.
The road ahead had to be walked step by step.
Turning around, he looked at the vast estate behind him.
Everything here had been left to him by Aunt Bulma.
All assets of this timeline had been transferred into his care.
Otherwise, it would all have gone to waste.
From now on, this place was his home, even if he lived here alone.
Just as he was about to head to the newly built gravity training room in the backyard, hoping to numb his emotions through training, the smart home robot suddenly delivered a message.
Someone from outside was asking to see him.
This surprised Gohan greatly.
After all, every relative and friend he had in this timeline was already gone.
The only people he could think of were Capsule Corporation administrators, or the researchers Bulma had once gathered together.
Over the past two days, aside from training and breakthroughs, Bulma had already briefed him on many of these matters.
Though the time was short, he grasped them quickly.
It had to be said, even in the future timeline, he was still a genius.
As long as he was willing to learn, he could master new knowledge rapidly.
He walked toward the front gate.
At this moment, Gohan had no idea that the one coming to see him was a woman.
If Vegeta were still here, he would have been utterly shocked.
Because this woman was none other than Videl.
According to the future timeline's original course, after Gohan's death, there had been no further mention of related characters.
No one would have imagined that Videl in this timeline was still alive.
Not only that, this Videl was an even more outstanding female fighter.
No, she could be called a martial artist now.
Her strength far surpassed the Videl of the Majin Buu arc.
During the years when the androids ravaged Earth, she trained relentlessly, sought instruction from famous masters, and grew far stronger than ordinary people.
Two months earlier, she had learned that Son Gohan had defeated the androids and saved the world.
That was why she had crossed mountains and distances to reach West City.
To see Gohan for herself, and to seek his guidance so she could become stronger.
Videl had no idea that by coming here on her own initiative,
she would reconnect a bond with Gohan.
A bond that would ultimately bring the two of them together.
Meanwhile, inside the time tunnel,
Even though Bulma and Trunks had already experienced this strange space during previous test runs, they were once again overwhelmed by the sight, exclaiming in amazement.
Compared to Vegeta, they were clearly far more excited.
Through the transparent hatch, they gazed outward at the seven colored space, which seemed to connect countless parallel timelines.
"No matter how many times I see this, it is still unbelievable," Trunks said hesitantly.
"Logically speaking, time streams should be stable and isolated from one another.
By traveling through time like this, will it really not cause temporal disorder?
Or end up like when Dad arrived in the wrong era back then?"
As the moment of action approached, doubts naturally surfaced one after another.
Vegeta did not answer.
Bulma spoke instead.
"That is what worries me too. Vegeta, are you not concerned at all about something going wrong?
I still only partially understand time and space. Even though I created the time machine, the data on time travel is far too limited.
We cannot fully calculate it, let alone control it precisely.
It feels like every jump through time is a gamble with our lives, unstable and dangerous."
After Bulma finished speaking, Vegeta looked at her seriously.
"Sometimes, it is better not to overthink things.
The moment you try to analyze every detail, problems will keep piling up."
"Change your perspective.
What if time itself is far more stable than we imagine?
What if traveling through time is not something outrageous at all?
What if time and space are inherently connected?"
"Does that not make all these doubts disappear?"
It was reassurance, but also his genuine belief.
This was, after all, the fundamental way time worked in the Dragon Ball world.
There were even systems like the Time Nest and the Time Patrol to manage it.
If time travel truly depended on luck, then the whole idea would be absurd.
If it were really that unstable, Vegeta would have died long ago.
Neither Trunks nor Cell in the original story could have traveled so precisely through time otherwise.
Because of Vegeta's words, Bulma and Trunks' eyes lit up.
And their worries finally eased.
~~~~~~
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