Future Trunks slipped away from the crowd, grumbling as he found Mai.
"I told you we shouldn't have revealed our identities. This era's problems were all handled by Mr. Levos anyway…"
Mai nodded. "You're right."
Meanwhile, the Pilaf Gang huddled together.
"Shoo, looks like in the future, only Mai survived," Pilaf muttered, staring blankly at the two Mais standing side by side.
"I wonder what became of us in that future…" Shu sighed.
"Uh, Future Mai, I have a question," Pilaf said cautiously.
"Please, Lord Pilaf," Future Mai replied with a faint smile.
"What happened to the future me and Shu? What did we go through?"
"The future world no longer exists," Future Mai said softly, her eyes dimming. "There's no point asking anymore. That timeline is gone forever."
"I'm just curious!" Pilaf insisted, his voice trembling. "Before that world disappeared, what did we experience?"
Future Mai hesitated. "You… you became someone I never imagined you could be."
"Became… what kind of person?" Pilaf asked, anxiety flickering in his eyes.
And then
images crashed into his mind.
A shattered, bloodstained underground factory.
Tiny lifeless bodies strewn across the floor, the crimson soaking deep into the concrete.
In the flickering dark, he and Shu fought desperately, shielding Mai from the monstrous figures closing in…
Pilaf's chest tightened painfully.
"Lord Pilaf," Future Mai whispered, "in the end, you became a very, very good person."
Her tone was gentle but heavy with sorrow.
Before Pilaf could respond, a sudden uproar swept through the hall.
"Levos is here!"
"About time you showed up!"
"Penalty drink! You're late!"
"Hey why'd you bring so many kids?"
"Who are they?" Future Trunks blinked.
The two Mais froze at the sight of the children.
"Lord Pilaf… they're alive…" Future Mai's voice trembled.
Pilaf and Shu shoved through the crowd and froze.
Shu's eyes brimmed with tears. "They're safe, Lord Pilaf!"
Pilaf wiped his own eyes, then forced a crooked grin. "Heh-heh, good! That means I don't have to waste my secret food stash after all."
"Lord Pilaf!"
The kids, once timid, lit up with joy and sprinted toward him.
"Eh? There are two Miss Mais?"
"Are you twins?" the children gasped.
"No, no!" Future Mai waved her hands quickly. "I'm the Mai from the future!"
The kids cheered even louder and soon crowded around the Pilaf Gang, laughing and playing together like a family reunited.
Levos smiled at the scene before turning to find Majin Buu. "Could you heal the children's wounds?"
Buu's grin widened. "No problem!"
He licked his ice cream, bounced to his feet, and waddled off happily to tend to them.
"Levos…"
Hearing his name, he turned. Bulma stood there, eyes soft as water, a faint smile curving her lips.
He started to step toward her but before he could say a word, she was pulled away by a swarm of friends.
"Bulma, why are you still so young?" Chi-Chi asked, amazed.
"Uh " Bulma faltered.
Yamcha leaned in with a teasing grin. "Yeah, Bulma, you look incredible! You know, some of us are still single "
"Don't even think about it."
Whack!
Bulma's hand struck his shoulder, sending him flying across the hall. He crashed through a buffet table and vanished in a cloud of desserts.
Everyone gawked.
Master Roshi, nose bleeding, froze mid–perverted reach, hand suspended inches from the air.
"Old lecher get out!"
Another slap. BOOM! Roshi shot backward like a cannonball, embedding himself into a wall that cracked like glass.
The room went silent then erupted in laughter.
"Unbelievable! There's hardly anyone on Earth who could stand against Bulma now!"
"Her temper hasn't changed one bit!"
"You kidding? It's gotten worse!"
"She's still the same old Bulma!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Even Levos laughed quietly, nodding approvingly. Chi-Chi clapped her hands. "Way to go, Bulma! If anyone bullies you, just punch them! We women have to stand tall!"
"Mm." Bulma smiled back.
Her gaze swept over the crowd and locked on Oolong.
The pink pig froze, shivering. "I I just wanted a girl's panties, that's all! I'm not interested in violent women like you!"
Bulma's brow twitched.
Oolong's knees wobbled, but he puffed his chest. "With that temper, you'll never get married!"
The room went still.
Bulma's eyes narrowed. Then, in a heartbeat, her expression softened as she turned to Levos, beaming sweetly. "Ahem… Levos…"
Levos chuckled. "You handled that perfectly, Bulma."
"So, uh, Bulma," Krillin piped up, curious, "how old are you, anyway?"
The words weren't loud but they echoed through the hall like a death sentence.
Every eye turned.
Even Levos and Piccolo froze.
The air plummeted to freezing.
A vein throbbed on Bulma's forehead. "Krillin… you do know it's rude to ask a lady's age, don't you?"
"I-I was just curious…" Krillin stammered.
"Hmph!" Bulma crossed her arms, scowling. "Eighteen."
"Eighteen?! That's impossible! You're older than Goku !"
BOOM!
Krillin vanished mid-sentence, blasted clear through a window in a blur of smoke.
Bulma flexed her fist, glaring around the hall. "Anyone else want to question my age?"
Every head dropped instantly. The crowd resumed eating as if nothing had happened.
"Miss Bulma, there's no need for anger," Vados interjected, smiling faintly. "For those of us with eternal lifespans, age is but a number."
Bulma blinked, then beamed. "You're absolutely right, Miss Vados!"
And then
"Yamcha-sama!!!"
A high-pitched cry tore through the hall.
All eyes turned. Yamcha lay sprawled and unmoving on the ground. Puar shrieked, transforming into a blue comet that streaked toward him like a shooting star.
"Wait!" Piccolo snapped.
Levos and Vados both threw up massive energy shields, covering the guests.
BOOM!
The courtyard shook. Dust exploded outward.
When it cleared, a crater yawned in the garden, cracks webbing across the stone. Yamcha lay motionless at the bottom.
"Ahhh!" Puar wailed, clutching her head. "Wh-what did I do?!"
"Puar," Piccolo sighed, "you've learned to control your ki, but your power control is terrible."
"Yamcha-sama! Please don't die!" Tears poured down Puar's face.
"Relax," Levos said calmly. "He's alive just unconscious. You hit him too hard."
Puar sobbed in relief but Levos's face turned grave.
"Your strength has grown far too much, and Yamcha's nowhere near your level. For his safety… the two of you will have to keep some distance."
Puar's shoulders trembled. Then she nodded, voice breaking. "As long as Yamcha-sama's okay… I'll do whatever you say."
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