"Big brother… do you mean we've landed in another timeline again?" Bulla asked softly.
Trunks clenched his jaw. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no point in hiding the truth now.
"The doll's asleep. Looks like it won't be waking up anytime soon," Trunks muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar ruins around them.
"But, what about our own world?!" Bulla's voice trembled, almost breaking into tears.
Tap---!
Gohan's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His fist tightened, and a flicker of determination surged in his gaze, hopeful, unwavering.
"Bulla," He said firmly, "We have to believe in Dad and the others. If it's Father and Vegeta Ojisan… they'll find a way to handle this."
Trunks fell silent. He couldn't deny it; Gohan's words rang true. After all, they were talking about Son Goku and Vegeta.
And his father… his father was anything but ordinary. The man who had willingly asked Elder Kaiōshin to draw out his hidden potential, the first to achieve Super Saiyan 4. Every unpredictable step Vegeta had taken screamed of someone far beyond the script of the original timeline.
"…I believe in Dad and Goku Ojisan too, Bulla," Trunks said at last. "Don't panic. Once Buu wakes up, we'll be able to return."
Even as he spoke, Trunks himself wasn't sure. Honestly, he had no idea when, or if, Majin Buu would awaken. But surrendering to despair wasn't an option.
As he comforted Bulla, his senses remained sharp, eyes sweeping over the devastated landscape. The shattered skyline and barren ruins told him one thing: this was Earth.
Yet the atmosphere here felt eerily similar to the future world they had just left.
Then, his heart jolted. He felt it.
A presence.
Instinctively, Trunks turned his head, narrowing his eyes toward the source of the Ki.
And there she was, a woman crouched in the shadows of a collapsed corner wall, clutching a firearm.
She wore a headset, her voice tense as she spoke into the comm: "Reporting to the central command! Unknown targets sighted!"
Her eyes were wide with fear. After all, the figures she had spotted weren't running or hiding, They were flying.
Before Trunks could even approach her, Bulla suddenly darted past him, her excitement overflowing.
"Mai! Mai Nee San!" She shouted.
The woman's body jolted at the name. Her wary eyes hardened with suspicion. Just as Bulla closed the distance, the muzzle of the gun flared--
Zzzap!
A beam of light shot out.
But Bulla didn't flinch and she didn't even think to dodge. Smiling brightly, she pressed forward, and by sheer chance, the blast grazed harmlessly past her.
The Mai of this world froze, stunned. Her weapon slipped from trembling hands and clattered to the ground.
Bulla's hands rested gently on her shoulders now, her eyes sweeping over Mai's face.
The resemblance was uncanny. This girl looked exactly like the Mai she remembered from her past life.
But Mai's eyes were filled with nothing but terror, her body stiff, frozen in fear. And it was in that moment that Bulla finally realized the truth.
This was not her Mai. Not the big sister she once knew. This was a different world. And she is a different parallel Mai.
Bulla slowly released her grip, her expression softening into a warm, reassuring smile.
Mai sensed no hostility from Bulla, only an inexplicable warmth, and she felt a strange familiarity that loosened her taut nerves.
"You… who are you?" Mai asked cautiously.
"Don't worry, we're not enemies," Trunks replied with a gentle smile, his gaze fixed on her.
Her attire struck him immediately, identical to the future Mai from the Dragon Ball Super timeline.
For a fleeting moment, Trunks wondered if they had stumbled into that world. But the thought dissolved just as quickly.
Because this Mai showed no recognition at the sight of him.
Instead, she extended her hand as if meeting them for the first time.
"Hello. I'm Mai, currently serving as deputy commander of the human resistance."
The title made Trunks pause.
And in that instant, the truth settled in.
This wasn't the Dragon Ball Super timeline at all. This was another parallel world entirely.
"Nice to meet you, Mai! I'm Bulla. This here is my brother, Trunks, and this is big brother Gohan!" Bulla said cheerfully, as if the tension in the air didn't exist.
But before Mai could respond, a sharp voice burst through her earpiece, charged with both shock and urgency.
"Mai…"
"Who did they just say they were?!"
The voice trembled. Whoever it belonged to was clearly rattled, barely keeping her emotions in check.
Mai hesitated, then turned to the trio, silently asking if she should repeat the names.
Trunks gave her a small nod.
"Reporting to central command… their names are Trunks, Gohan, and Bulla."
Silence.
The channel went dead immediately after. The transmission was cut.
Mai forced an awkward smile. "Sorry… the Commander must be busy."
But Trunks' curiosity only deepened.
Commander…
From the voice that had come through the headset, he could tell: it was a woman. Young, from the tone of her voice.
The thought gnawed at him until he couldn't help but ask, "This Commander of yours… who exactly, "
He never finished.
From the darkness, a blur of motion sliced across the night.
It was a shadow.
It moved with impossible speed, enough to draw all of their attention instantly. Judging by its size and shape, it wasn't a machine.
It was a person.
What unsettled Trunks even more was that he couldn't sense any Ki from them.
And yet, they were charging straight toward the group with blistering velocity. No ordinary human could do such a thing.
Bulla and Gohan's expressions hardened at once. They knew this wasn't their world. Caution was survival.
Trunks, however, kept his eyes locked on the approaching figure. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mai.
Her expression was calm. Too calm. And there was not even a trace of panic on her face.
Just as confusion began to twist in Trunks' chest, Mai's lips curved ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible smile.
Her lips moved. A whisper slipped out, soft and steady.
"The Commander is here," she murmured, her voice carrying a quiet confidence.
(End Of This Chapter)
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