(A/N: Bonus Chapter! Enjoy!)
"What do you mean transforming into a Super Saiyan is useless?" Trunks asked, his voice filled with confusion. "After the transformation, strength increases by more than fifty times..."
Both Trunks and Gohan stared at Karnel with bewildered expressions, struggling to comprehend what they'd just heard.
Karnel shook his head, his gaze drifting across the vast expanse of ruined cityscape that stretched to the horizon. "Your current strength isn't sufficient to understand," he said quietly. "Even if I explained it, the concept would be beyond you."
The sight before them was sobering. Every civilized settlement on Earth lay in ruins, reduced to rubble and twisted metal. The task of rebuilding would be monumental, made even more daunting by the fact that less than a tenth of humanity had survived the android terror. Restoring the world's former prosperity would take generations, not years.
Gohan scratched his head thoughtfully. "Maybe we'll understand when we reach that level of strength ourselves," he said to Trunks. "For now, let's head back to the shelter."
"Yes!" Trunks exclaimed, his face lighting up with the first genuine smile he'd worn in years. "Those monsters are finally gone! We can live on the surface again!" The crushing weight that had pressed down on his shoulders for over a decade suddenly lifted, and his long-tensed nerves finally began to relax. "We have to hurry back and tell everyone the incredible news!"
Mai wiped tears of joy from her eyes. "Everyone's going to be so happy, Trunks. For years, every time we left the shelter, we lived in constant fear that androids would appear and kill us. Now we can finally live peacefully under the sun again!" Her voice broke with emotion. "I can hardly believe it's real."
"Let's go," Karnel said simply, though his mind was already focused on the next challenge. The time machine would be crucial for drawing out the mysterious black-clad figure who had been lurking in the shadows. That hidden enemy posed a far greater threat than Cell ever had, and until he was eliminated, true peace would remain elusive.
Under the gentle afternoon sunlight, the group that had just ended more than a decade of terror walked leisurely through the debris-strewn streets toward their underground refuge.
"Mom! Master Roshi! We're back!" Trunks called out as soon as they entered the shelter, pulling Mai and Gohan along in his excitement while Karnel followed at a more measured pace.
Master Roshi was the first to emerge from the deeper chambers. When he saw the joy radiating from their faces, his weathered features lit up with cautious hope. "Did you... did you actually manage to destroy those brutal androids?" he asked, his entire body trembling with anticipation.
"Yes, Master Roshi!" Gohan rushed forward, unable to contain his happiness. "Both androids and that green monster are dead! Karnel eliminated all of them. We can finally return to the surface and rebuild our lives!"
"Wonderful... wonderful!" Master Roshi seemed to be in a daze, muttering to himself as tears streamed down his face. "Those murderous machines are finally gone. What a blessing... what a miraculous blessing..."
The commotion drew others from their hiding places. Future Bulma, Chi-Chi, and the surviving members of their community emerged one by one, drawn by the sounds of celebration.
Chi-Chi pushed past the Ox King and rushed toward her son with tears streaming down her cheeks. She threw herself into Gohan's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Gohan! I was terrified when you didn't return for so many days. I thought... I thought those monsters had killed you!"
Gohan felt his own eyes growing moist as he held his mother tight. The androids had inflicted so much suffering on everyone he cared about. "It's okay, Mom," he whispered soothingly. "Those androids are gone forever. We don't have to hide in this dark shelter anymore."
Word spread like wildfire through the underground complex. Within minutes, every surviving human in the shelter had heard the miraculous news. They poured out of their cramped living spaces, some falling to their knees in prayer, others laughing hysterically, many simply crying with relief. More than a decade of suppressed fear, anger, and despair erupted in a cathartic explosion of emotion that echoed through the tunnels.
Future Bulma wiped tears from her eyes and managed her first genuine smile in years. She placed a proud hand on Trunks' shoulder. "You've finally become the powerful warrior your father always knew you could be," she said softly. "If Vegeta could see you now, he would be incredibly proud."
While the celebration continued around him, Karnel remained focused on the looming threat that only he seemed aware of. He approached Future Bulma with purpose. "Bulma, have you finished constructing the new time machine? I need it to lure out a dangerous enemy and destroy him."
"It's completed," she replied, her scientific excitement momentarily overriding her joy. "If you hadn't brought that time machine as a reference, I might never have thought to build one myself."
Karnel waved dismissively. "You would have invented it eventually, with or without my example. You're brilliant enough to have created it on your own timeline." He paused, contemplating the paradoxes of time travel. "These two machines are essentially identical, just separated by temporal displacement. Because of my intervention, Cell was destroyed before he could steal the original to travel to the main timeline. The mathematics of time and space truly are beyond mortal comprehension."
Master Roshi approached with careful steps, his expression mixing hope with lingering anxiety. "Karnel, the androids are destroyed, but what about that black-clad figure you mentioned?"
Karnel's expression grew serious as he met the old master's gaze. He understood the unspoken question beneath the words, the desperate hope for resurrection of lost friends.
"That black-clad enemy is far more dangerous than Cell or the androids ever were," Karnel said gravely. "We don't know where he's hiding or when he'll strike next. I'm going to use the time machine to open a temporal rift and see if I can draw him out of hiding. If I succeed in eliminating him, I can return to search for something called the Super Dragon Balls, artifacts powerful enough to resurrect Goku and the others."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "But if this gambit fails, I may need to remain in this timeline indefinitely, waiting for him to reveal himself. The threat he poses cannot be ignored or postponed."
The celebration around them continued, but those close enough to hear Karnel's words felt a chill of apprehension. Even in their moment of greatest triumph, new challenges loomed on the horizon.