After Videl's account, the group fell silent, their hearts heavy.
Even Mai, who had joined the Defense Force much later, wore a look of astonishment on her face. From the way Videl spoke, from the sorrow hidden beneath her steady tone, there were wounds, wounds that would never truly heal.
Mai had known fragments of the commander's past. She knew that behind this strong, unyielding woman lay a love story that once burned brilliantly.
And now she realized that the two strangers standing before them, these outsiders named Gohan and Trunks, were none other than the legendary warriors spoken of in whispers, the heroes who had once stood against the Androids.
Mai herself had once watched Pilaf and Shu cut down by the Androids. She had fled, helpless, until fate drove her into the arms of the Defense Force. She had only heard vague tales of Gohan and Trunks. Never had she stood before them.
Videl's gaze lingered on Gohan. Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed her:
"Then… What about your world? What happened there?"
She knew of parallel worlds. There was no need for pretense. But before Gohan could answer, Bulla stepped forward.
"Videl-neechan, there's something you should know! The monster that killed the Trunks of this timeline, it actually escaped into our world."
Her fists clenched, but then she smiled brightly.
"But don't worry! Gohan-nii and my dad defeated it!"
Without hesitation, Bulla poured out everything, the events of the main timeline, how Cell had crossed over, and how he had ultimately been destroyed.
Videl's lips trembled. "…That's wonderful."
Her eyes softened with a fleeting light.
"You mean… in your world, I was with Gohan? And… we even had a daughter?"
Her voice cracked with bittersweet yearning. If only her Gohan had survived… but that thought was for another lifetime.
Before anyone could speak further, a new presence descended, shocking Trunks to his core.
A tall, broad figure clad in green armor touched down beside them.
Android 16.
He stood silently behind Videl and Mai, as though this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Sixteen, you came as well," Videl said.
He nodded without a word, his mechanical eyes sweeping over the group.
But then, for the first time, his impassive face flickered with unease.
His database displayed names, Trunks, Gohan. Yet his records also showed those very same individuals as dead.
And when his gaze fell on Bulla, his systems faltered entirely. His eyes flashed with confusion.
"You… who are you?" His mechanical voice buzzed with bewilderment.
Sensing tension, Videl quickly explained, "This is Android 16. He's with us."
Her words only deepened the trio's astonishment. Gohan and Bulla exchanged looks of shock. Even Trunks, who had lived through countless battles, struggled to comprehend why this Android was standing at Videl's side.
Videl's attention then shifted back to the girl she had yet to fully acknowledge. "By the way… who is she?"
She meant Bulla. The girl had introduced herself earlier with warmth and excitement, yet Videl hadn't recognized the name.
"She's my sister. Bulla," Trunks answered quickly, watching Videl closely. There were questions he was desperate to ask, but he wanted to see her reaction first.
Videl's eyes widened as she studied Bulla. Then, suddenly, she let out a sharp cry: "Ah?! That explains it! No wonder, you look exactly like Bulma Obasan when she was young!"
Bulla stiffened, her ears pricking up, her whole body jolting as though struck by lightning. She grabbed Videl's hands.
"Videl-neechan! Tell me, where is my mother in this world? Where is my mom?!"
Trunks turned sharply toward them, his heart pounding. That was the very question he himself had been holding back.
At the mention of Bulma, both Videl and Mai straightened their backs with pride.
Videl crossed her arms, her voice ringing with conviction.
"Bulma Obasan is the greatest woman in this entire world. Without her, we'd all be dead! And let me add, she was the founder of the Human Defense Force itself!"
With that, Videl launched into Bulma's story.
In this world, Bulma had waited for her son. She believed Trunks had once again traveled to the past.
But days became weeks, weeks became years. He never returned. At last, the Defense Force uncovered the truth, they found Trunks' corpse.
Bulma was devastated beyond words. Her grief was immeasurable.
Yet even then, she could not have foreseen the new disaster creeping toward Earth.
A tide of Frieza's soldiers had invaded, swarming the planet under the banner of vengeance, claiming they had come to avenge their fallen master.
They had scouted Earth. They knew the truth.
There was no one left to protect it.
The aliens descended in force. A full-scale invasion had begun.
And so it was, in that darkest moment, that she, humanity's final hope, rose once more.
The only one left who could save Earth was Bulma.
From Trunks's words before his death, she had learned the location of Dr. Gero's underground laboratory.
If anyone could create killing machines as powerful as the Androids, then he was without question a genius. And geniuses always left secrets behind.
With nothing but determination, Bulma set out to uncover them.
And she succeeded.
What she found within the lab nearly made her retch: the stench of rotting flesh clinging to a long-abandoned incubation chamber.
Cell's incubation chamber. Empty now, save for the reek of decay.
But Bulma pushed on. Digging deeper into the laboratory, she discovered another pod, this one still intact.
Android 16.
Inside the databanks she unearthed his specifications. To her surprise, 16 was built not for destruction, but with a heart inclined toward peace.
So she made her choice. She released him.
And thanks to Android 16, Earth once again knew a fragile peace.
...
As Videl passionately described just how great Bulma had been, a new presence approached.
A woman, white lab coat fluttering, her step light and graceful despite the years. She slipped her hands into her pockets, smiling faintly at Videl as she drew closer.
"You're exaggerating again," she said softly. "I only did what I could, nothing more, Videl."
The three travelers from afar turned at once.
Future Bulma had arrived. Calm, composed, yet without even the faintest trace of ki.
"Mom… Mama!"
Bulla's eyes welled with warmth at the sight of her. She looked exactly like the Bulma of her own timeline.
Bulla rushed forward, arms wide, and buried herself in Bulma's embrace.
Bulma had overheard enough of their conversation to know who Bulla was. Though in this world she had no daughter, she did not push the girl away. Instead, she held her gently, offering a warmth Bulla desperately needed.
Trunks, however, was not swept away by sentiment.
Videl's story still rang in his ears, and he had already noticed it: he could sense no Ki from either Bulma or Videl.
The truth was unavoidable. Both of them… were Androids.
All the more reason to respect them.
He strode forward and bowed deeply before Bulma. This Bulma, of this doomed timeline, was a woman deserving of reverence.
He said nothing more, only straightened with a solemn nod. Bulma smiled kindly at him, then, without warning, tears slipped from her eyes.
"Yes… to see you again, my child… it's a blessing."
Trunks understood her heart all too well. But there was no time for grief. Their priority was clear: they had to return to their own timeline.
He met her gaze and asked, "Mother of this world… is there still a time machine? Our timeline is in danger. We must get back as quickly as possible."
Bulma shook her head.
"I'm sorry. The time machine was stolen by Cell many years ago. And once I learned that changing the past doesn't affect the present, I abandoned my research. If you need one, I can build another… but it will take time."
Boom!
From the rubble nearby, a broken time machine clattered to the ground, the same battered vessel from another timeline.
Trunks pointed to it. "Then, Mother, with your genius… could you repair this machine in a single day?"
Bulma fell silent.
"…I'm afraid not," She said at last. "We are facing new troubles. A monster has enslaved our world."
She gestured at the ruins around them.
"This destruction, you see it everywhere, it is their doing."
Her voice wavered. "I'm sorry. With the power I have now… I cannot defeat them. In such a short time, repairing that machine is impossible."
Only then did Trunks grasp the truth. This timeline had once again fallen into crisis, one that even this Bulma could not overcome.
His eyes hardened. His voice was steel.
"Tell me who. We'll deal with them."
And in that instant, the sky split with cruel laughter.
"Fwahahahaha!! All humans shall bow before me! Become my dogs, become the hounds of Babidi!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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