"They're nothing more than ants in my eyes. If I wanted to kill them, all it would take is a flick of my finger… but…"
Gran gently set Son Gohan down on the ground. From his waist pouch, he took out two Senzu Beans. Crushing them into powder, he crouched and carefully fed them into the mouths of both Gohan and Trunks.
"…but I think you'd rather take your revenge yourselves."
At that moment, Bulma descended beside Gran, her previously tense emotions finally settling a little.
"Gran… then who is he?"
For some reason, Bulma felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward the blue-haired boy. It was strange—deeply strange.
"Him?"
Gran glanced at Trunks, then looked back at Bulma, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"I'm not sure you'll believe me if I tell you."
A bad premonition suddenly rose in Bulma's heart, but she still nodded firmly.
"Gran… if it's you, I'll believe anything you say."
Gran was just about to tell her—
This boy is your son.
But suddenly—
"Mom!"
After consuming the Senzu Bean, Trunks instantly recovered to full strength. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Bulma standing beside him.
Boom!
That single word, "Mom," exploded in Bulma's mind like thunder.
Ever since recognizing Son Gohan's identity, she had already realized that this was a future timeline.
And in this devastated wasteland, she was the only woman present.
Which meant…
That "Mom"—
was directed at her.
In other words… this boy… was her son in the future!
"Th-this… this… I actually have a son in the future?!"
Bulma's pupils shrank violently, her mind reeling.
"Huh? Mom, why do you suddenly look so young?"
Trunks slowly got to his feet. He was only about fourteen years old, not very tall—just about reaching Bulma's shoulder.
"Gran, this… this…"
Bulma staggered back two steps, completely at a loss.
Meanwhile, Son Gohan also recovered from his grievous injuries.
The moment he woke, his body tensed instinctively. But after scanning his surroundings and noticing that Androids 17 and 18 were nowhere to be seen, his attention shifted to the young Bulma and the unfamiliar man standing nearby.
He didn't speak immediately.
Because… this young Bulma's reaction was far too strange.
He simply watched in silence.
"He is your son… well, more precisely, he's the son of Bulma from this timeline."
Gran stood up from his crouch and gave Bulma a small nod.
Clang—
It felt as though something had slammed into Bulma's head, leaving it buzzing.
No wonder Gran had asked if she would believe him…
He had meant this.
"Then—who is his father?!" she blurted out anxiously.
"Mom, what's going on? How could you forget Dad?"
Trunks scratched his head, confused.
Off to the side, Gohan frowned deeply.
He had just heard the words "space-time."
Before this, Bulma had told him that Earth in their timeline was already beyond saving, and that she planned to build a time machine to return to the past—to try and change the future.
Could it be…
These two people… weren't from their timeline at all?
The moment that thought surfaced, Gohan's eyes widened.
He was certain—this was the truth.
Only this could explain why this Bulma looked so young… and why she didn't even know who her own husband or son was.
"Aunt Bulma!"
Gohan suddenly spoke.
His voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
"Aunt?"
Bulma pointed at herself, then lightly smacked her forehead.
Right—this was Son Gohan. Calling her Aunt Bulma was perfectly natural.
"Gohan, are you okay? Does anything still hurt?"
Bulma hurried over, anxiously checking his body to make sure all his injuries had healed.
Gohan's eyes reddened instantly.
Just as he thought…
No matter which timeline it was, Aunt Bulma was always this kind.
"I-I'm fine…"
He sniffed, clenching his fists as he suppressed the surge of emotions in his chest.
Then he asked carefully:
"Aunt Bulma… are you… from the past timeline?"
"The past timeline?"
Bulma paused, then shook her head.
"That's not quite accurate. You should call me Bulma from a different timeline in the past."
When she built her machine, it wasn't a time machine—it was a space-time shuttle.
So she clearly understood that she hadn't traveled to a single fixed future in the traditional sense.
"I see… so you really aren't the Aunt Bulma from our timeline!"
Gohan's eyes widened as realization dawned.
"Wait—then why is it 'space-time' instead of just 'time'?"
Quickly regaining his composure, he frowned.
"Our Bulma said she wanted to return to the past to change the future."
"Change the future?"
Bulma shook her head again.
"I don't know why your timeline wants to do that, but ordinary people can't truly return to the past. Even if you do, you won't change your future—because the 'past' you arrive at is simply another timeline."
She frowned slightly.
"That doesn't make sense… Even in different timelines, Bulma should still be a top-tier scientist. Why wouldn't she consider the time paradox?"
What Bulma couldn't understand—
Gran understood perfectly.
Because the Bulma of this future timeline… was desperate.
Just like moments ago—if he hadn't intervened, both Trunks and Gohan would have died.
And in that case, this world would have been left with only Bulma.
In such overwhelming despair, even if she knew returning to the past likely wouldn't change anything…
As long as there was even the slightest glimmer of hope—
she would never let go.
"Big Brother Gohan… Mom… what are you talking about?"
Trunks looked between them, utterly confused.
"Trunks… I'm sorry, but she isn't your mother."
Though Gohan wasn't a scientist, his education had given him some understanding of time paradoxes.
If this young Bulma was from another timeline—
then she truly wasn't his mother.
"No! She looks exactly like my mom—how could she not be my mom?!"
Trunks shook his head frantically.
Logically, as Bulma's son, he should have a strong grasp of scientific theory.
But this Trunks… had grown up in chaos.
Since birth, he had lived under the threat of the Androids. His life had been consumed by training and survival—he never had the chance to receive Bulma's scientific education.
Just like in the original story, when he first traveled to the past, he couldn't even perceive the inconsistencies between timelines.
He had always believed—
that changing the past could change the future.
"You're called Trunks, right? Is your mother still alive?"
Bulma looked at him gently. No wonder she had felt that strange sense of closeness earlier.
"…"
At this point, if Trunks still couldn't sense that something was wrong, he would truly be a fool.
"Y-Yes… my mom is still at home… waiting for us to return."
He shook his head.
"Then… who is your father?"
Bulma finally asked the question that had been lingering in her heart.
END OF CHAPTER
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