"Lord Gran, how could you? I worked so hard to save you, and all you do is laugh at me!" Bulma huffed, stomping her foot in frustration.
The laughter finally cleared the lingering gloom of Gran's year-long isolation. He gradually reined it in. "Alright, alright. I'm done, I promise."
He stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her directly in the eye. While he hadn't technically needed a rescue, her year of grueling labor and the sheer courage it took to plunge into the temporal rift were undeniable.
"Thank you for coming for me," Gran said, his voice dropping into a rare, solemn sincerity. "I'm truly moved."
"Wait, what?" Bulma's eyes widened, and then a goofy, triumphant grin spread across her face. She started to let out a series of strange, high-pitched giggles. Being thanked so formally by Lord Gran felt incredible.
What is up with that weird laugh? Gran's lip twitched, but he couldn't help but smile along with her.
The two of them began to stroll down the ruined street of the mysterious planet they had landed on. Finding Gran had put Bulma in high spirits; she practically skipped along the pavement.
Gran followed closely behind, not in any particular rush to return to their own timeline. Something about this dilapidated city felt hauntingly familiar.
"Lord Gran, do you know who took over as the Destroyer of Universe 4 after the old one died?"
"No idea."
"Whis said it's a grey-skinned mouse named Besi."
"Another one? What is it with Universe 4 and rodents?"
"Giggles! Lord Gran, your reaction is the same as Lord Beerus's!" Bulma turned back with a bright smile.
Seeing her so cheerful, Gran asked, "And what about Broly? How's he doing?" If he hadn't been sucked into the rift, his original plan was to use the Super Dragon Balls to fix Broly's berserk state.
"Whis took him to the Dimension Tower."
"Oh? So his rage issues are settled?"
"Yep." Bulma slowed her pace, and Gran caught up to walk side-by-side with her. She explained, "Lord Beerus and Lord Champa actually worked together to find the Super Dragon Balls for you to fix him."
"Wait." Gran stopped, frowning. "Whis and Beerus don't know the incantation to summon the Super Dragon God. They shouldn't have been able to use them."
In the original series, they only learned the chant because Bulma asked Zuno for it. Had she done the same in this timeline?
"The Supreme Kai went to see someone named Zuno to get the chant," Bulma explained, spitting in mock disgust. "That Zuno guy is a total creep. His servant actually told the Supreme Kai he'd have to kiss Zuno to get an answer!"
An image of Shin (Supreme Kai) standing on his tiptoes to kiss Zuno flashed through Gran's mind.
"Hahahahaha!" Gran roared with laughter again. He remembered Bulma had gone through something similar in the anime. He looked at her warmly. "Bulma, after what you did to save me, if you ever run into trouble, just say my name."
This woman, a mere mortal, had braved the cracks of time in a machine she hadn't even tested once. It was a suicidal gamble, and it was all for him. He couldn't leave that unrewarded.
"Really? Lord Gran, you're the best!" Bulma's face flushed red with excitement. She lifted her chin proudly. "Next time I have a question for Zuno, if he tries that move on me, I'm dropping your name immediately!"
"Go right ahead. I don't mind."
"Hehe, Zuno won't know what hit him... wait, actually, he's omniscient, so he probably already knows you're my backup." Bulma laughed happily.
Gran smiled as they continued down the wreckage-strewn road. "So, did Shin actually... kiss him?"
"Are you kidding? He's the Supreme Kai!" Bulma gave him a look like he was the stupid one. "That was just the subordinate talking. Zuno looked like he was going to die of a heart attack the moment a God like the Supreme Kai actually showed up."
"I see."
"Lord Gran, that Super Dragon was huge. Seriously, massive."
"Oh? You saw the summoning?"
"Of course! I bribed Whis with gourmet food to take me there."
"Haha, Whis is still as easy to buy as ever..."
The sound of their conversation echoed through the ghost town. Through their talk, Gran finally caught up on everything he had missed during his year of training.
Eventually, the chatter died down. Bulma stopped and turned to him. "Well, since I found you, should we head back?"
"Don't be in such a rush. Don't you find this place familiar?"
Despite the rubble and decay, Gran realized exactly where they were. This was West City—on Earth! Could this be Future Trunks' timeline? But that didn't make sense.
According to Dragon Ball's logic, a new timeline is created only when someone travels back in time to change the past. Since Trunks hadn't visited his timeline yet, this "Future" shouldn't exist.
No... Gran shook his head. Dragon Ball's timelines were a mess. No one truly knew how many parallel worlds existed. His timeline might not have a corresponding future yet, but that didn't mean other future timelines didn't exist.
"So I've jumped into a different future timeline?" Gran checked the map on his Time Ring. Sure enough, this was one of the many "Future" branches.
"Familiar?" Bulma looked around. She began to recognize specific landmarks and gasp. She"This... this is West City!"
"Exactly. We're in the West City of a different timeline."
"But why is it like this?" Bulma clenched her fists, looking at the devastation. "Has something terrible happened to the Earth here?" She turned to Gran with pleading eyes. "Lord Gran, can we stay for a bit? I want to see my home!"
Even if it wasn't her specific world, it was still Earth. Her parents, her friends—they all lived here. She had to know what had happened.
"According to the Time Patroller code, we aren't allowed to travel between eras without orders from the Supreme Kai of Time, let alone interfere," Gran began. Bulma's face immediately fell.
He sighed. "But, considering you risked your life to save me today... I'll make an exception. Let's find out what's going on."
"Thank you, Lord Gran!" The joy returned to her face instantly.
The Time Nest – End of Time
Chronoa was in the Vault of Time, monitoring the various scrolls of history. Suddenly, a dimensional rift opened in the wall, and a scroll tumbled out, glowing brightly.
"Huh?"
Chronoa frowned. Usually, if a timeline were being corrupted by evil, the scroll would glow with a dark, sickly purple light. But this one was radiating a brilliant silver-white hue.
She hurried over and unfurled it. An image materialized: Gran and Bulma standing in the ruins of the Future Timeline.
"What is he doing? Gran is supposed to be meditating on space-time energy! Why is he in another era?" Her eyes went wide as she checked his training logs. Her jaw dropped.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"I thought it would take him at least ten years to grasp that power... I completely underestimated him. This guy is a monster!" Her voice echoed through the vault in disbelief.
"Wait!" She snapped out of her shock. Gran was in another timeline without her permission. That was a major violation. "What does he think he's doing?"
Just as she prepared to intervene, a blurred figure manifested in the Vault of Time.
"Lord Toki-O!"
Chronoa immediately bowed deeply. "Lord Toki-O, you've returned!"
The Time King nodded slightly and spoke in a calm, ethereal voice. "Gran is like you. You both possess 'Space-Time Uniqueness.' His actions will not birth new parallel timelines. Leave him be. Let him play."
"Yes, My Lord!"
The Future Timeline
Gran and Bulma soared into the sky. Below them, West City looked like a graveyard, scarred by the remnants of countless battles.
"How could this happen?" Bulma bit her lip, her eyes filled with dread.
Suddenly—BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the ruins in the distance.
"Lord Gran! I feel combat energy, but there's only one signature, and it's fading fast!" Bulma cried out.
"It's not just one. There's another one, but it's so faint it's almost gone." Gran frowned. Bulma couldn't sense the enemies because they were Androids—beings without ki.
But those other two signatures... one was on the brink of death, and the other was failing rapidly. They were about to be slaughtered. This felt wrong. In the typical "Future" history, the Androids usually toyed with Gohan and Trunks, keeping them alive for sport. But right now? They were going for the kill.
"Stay close."
Gran grabbed Bulma's wrist. A silver-white light enveloped them—Space Power. Using his newly mastered ability for the first time, he folded the dimensions and vanished.
West City Ruins
"Trunks! Wake up! Stay with me!"
A one-armed man with golden hair stood defiantly against two opponents. Behind him lay a young boy. The boy's stomach had been impaled, and his life was bleeding out onto the cold concrete. His breathing was shallow, his ki a guttering candle.
This was Future Trunks, and the man protecting him was Future Gohan.
"Raaaagh! DAMN YOU!"
Sensing Trunks's life fading, Gohan's power flared. He lunged at Androids 17 and 18 with his remaining arm clenched in a fist.
"Oh? He got a little stronger. Cute, but pointless." 17 casually sidestepped the punch and drove a knee into Gohan's midsection.
CRACK.
Gohan coughed up a spray of blood, the force of the blow launching him high into the air.
"I thought a power boost would make this interesting, but it's just the same old disappointment," 18 sneered. she flew above him, clasped her hands together, and slammed them into Gohan's back.
The sound of his spine snapping echoed through the ruins. Gohan hit the ground with the force of a meteor, leveling what was left of the nearby buildings and creating a massive crater. He lay there, broken and unable to move.
"Dad... Father... I was too weak. If only you were here..."
"I'm sorry... I couldn't... protect the Earth..."
Gohan looked toward the sky, tears of despair mixing with the blood on his face as the world began to fade to black.
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