Frieza paused, genuinely caught off guard. He hadn't expected anyone on this planet to recognise him.
"What an honour. On a backwater planet like this, someone actually knows my name." He narrowed his eyes, amused. "But do you understand who I am? I'm the Emperor of the Universe!
The boy didn't answer.
"Kill him," Frieza told one of his men.
"Yes!" The underling lit up, adjusted the energy gun in his hands, and aimed at the boy's torso.
"Everyone else, go wipe out the Earthlings," Frieza added, barking orders at Salza and the others.
"Battle power's only five, you idiot!" The underling had already checked his scouter. He smirked and pulled the trigger.
The energy shot streaked in.
Pff!
The boy let out the faintest pulse of ki, and the blast got blown off course like it hit a wall.
The underling froze, blinking like his brain had stalled.
Whoosh!
The boy vanished, reappeared in front of him, and tapped him with a light punch.
The underling flew backward, slammed headfirst into the spaceship behind him, and went limp on impact.
Frieza's men erupted in rage.
Frieza glanced at the boy, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes before disdain washed it away.
"You bastard!"
They swarmed him.
Calm as ever, the boy drew the long sword from his back.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
He moved through them in a blur, blade flashing as he passed.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
In the next moment, Frieza's soldiers toppled in every direction, cut down cleanly.
"This brat's asking for it! I'll handle him!" Dore roared, powering up as he charged.
Slash!
The boy swung once.
Dore's head separated from his body before he even understood what happened.
Salza and Neiz went rigid.
How is that sword that sharp?
Whoosh!
The boy appeared in front of Salza and cut downward.
Salza's body split at the waist.
Neiz panicked and stumbled back.
Whoosh!
The boy hurled the sword.
Thunk!
The blade punched straight through Neiz's chest, pinning him in place.
Cooler's Armored Squadron was wiped out in under a minute.
The boy dropped in, planted a boot on Neiz, yanked the sword free, wiped the blood on Neiz's uniform, and slid it back into its sheath like it was routine.
…
On Ken's side, Vegeta and the others sensed that overwhelming ki immediately.
"What's going on?" Bulma asked, turning to Ken.
"A mysterious person showed up," Ken said.
"A mysterious person?" Bulma blinked.
"I felt a bunch of strong ki signatures appear on the other side of the mountain," Krillin said, still stunned. "Then, in an instant, they were gone."
"What the heck happened?" Yamcha looked lost.
"A mysterious person… could it be a new enemy?" Piccolo's voice tightened.
"There's a good chance it's Vegeta's son," Ken said, thinking.
"Vegeta's son?" Bulma's eyes widened. "Emily got pregnant that fast?"
Vegeta: "…"
"Ken, quit messing around. How could I have a son?" Vegeta snapped.
You're trying to make me someone's dad out of nowhere?
Like hell I'm getting cheated on.
"Vegeta's son…? Is Emily about to give birth?" Krillin asked, sounding strangely devastated.
You two are moving way too fast.
"That doesn't make sense either," Yamcha said. "Even if he was born, he'd be, what, a month or two old? Saiyans can fight at that age?"
Those ki signatures just now were insane—especially three of them. And the mysterious guy erased them like it was nothing.
They hadn't seen it, but it had to be a one-sided slaughter.
…
"Hmph. Fine." King Cold said, clearly unimpressed.
"This Earthling's dangerous. He wiped out Cooler's Armored Squadron like it was nothing." Frieza squinted, murder flashing in his eyes. "Did you kill the Ginyu Force too?"
"You're next," the boy said flatly, ignoring the question.
"Did you hear that, Frieza? He thinks he can kill us." King Cold laughed, dripping contempt.
"You arrogant little idiot." Frieza snorted. "I'll show you what happens when you run your mouth."
"I can kill you both in an instant," the boy said coldly. "So be careful."
"Be careful?" Frieza actually chuckled. "You talk a lot like Vegeta used to."
The boy went quiet.
Then, after a beat—
"He's my father," the boy said, straight.
They were dead anyway. Dead men didn't share secrets.
Frieza's eyes went wide, disbelief plastered all over his face.
Vegeta's son?
Yeah, right.
"Oh?" Frieza's grin turned curious. "When did Vegeta plant his seed? I don't remember him ever coming to Earth. And you—your look screams Saiyan mixed with Earthling."
King Cold's expression tightened.
This kid is Vegeta's son?
"Vegeta hasn't been to Earth… Maybe he adopted him," King Cold muttered.
The boy: "…"
Plant his seed? What a disgusting way to talk.
Fine. I'll kill you with style.
"No wonder you're so cocky." Frieza laughed. "You even inherited Vegeta's attitude. But do you know this? Vegeta died by my hand!"
"Then I'll kill you now," the boy said.
"You?" Frieza's smile sharpened. "Even if Vegeta showed up, I'd still crush him."
"Let me tell you something." The boy's mouth curled. "Son Goku-san isn't the only Super Saiyan. There's another one standing right here."
Frieza's expression snapped.
King Cold's pupils shrank.
"AAAAAH!"
Golden light burst from the boy. His hair spiked up, his eyes shifted, and in an instant he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Frieza went completely blank.
Far away, Vegeta and the others felt that surge the moment it hit.
"Whose ki is that? It's huge—was that the mysterious guy?" Yamcha shouted.
"It's Dad! It's Dad's ki!" Gohan blurted, fired up. "It's the same strength as when he did it!"
Krillin nodded. "Yeah."
"It's close to Goku's… but it's not the same at all," Piccolo said.
Vegeta: "…"
Vegeta started trembling again.
Why?
Why is there always someone stronger than me?
Broly, fine—he's the Legendary Super Saiyan.
Kakarot, fine—I'll surpass him one day.
But now there's another one, and he's probably a Saiyan.
How many Saiyans are still alive, anyway?
Vegeta's frustration boiled.
"Die!" Frieza didn't hesitate. He launched a massive blast.
The attack tore across the sky.
BOOOOM!
A huge explosion swallowed the boy's position, mushroom cloud rising as shockwaves rolled outward and dust surged in layers.
"Beautiful, Frieza!" King Cold laughed. "Vegeta's brat was never a match for us."
Frieza panted hard, tension still sitting in his shoulders.
Then a voice called out from a distant ridge.
"Frieza!"
Frieza and King Cold snapped their heads around.
An energy ball came screaming toward them.
Frieza's mind short-circuited.
Seriously? Cheap shot!
Both Frieza and King Cold shot into the air.
Mid-flight, Frieza's danger sense flared. He jerked his head up—
The boy was above him, sword raised, cutting down.
That sword's sharp.
Despair hit Frieza like a punch.
No—don't come any closer!
No… I can take it. I can tank one hit—
The blade split him from head to toe like he was made of paper.
Frieza's vision skewed.
No. That's my body.
Did he really cut me in half?
That's impossible.
I'm the Emperor of the Universe.
I can't die.
I, Frieza, don't die—
"Heh."
The boy swung again and again, turning Frieza into chunks.
A blast followed, and Frieza was reduced to ash.
The boy turned his eyes to King Cold, who stood frozen like a statue.
King Cold stared, unable to process what he'd just seen.
After a moment of hesitation, he dropped to the ground, landing in front of the boy with an expression twisted ugly.
"You're far stronger than I expected." King Cold forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You killed my son in an instant. How about this—be my son instead. You're worthy of our family. You can do whatever you want on planets far better than Earth."
The boy just stared at him.
"Right… you're Vegeta's son." King Cold chuckled. "Saiyans are all stubborn. What a shame. I thought I could take in a godson."
"Talk while you can," the boy said.
"That sword of yours…" King Cold gritted out. "It carved Frieza to pieces like nothing. Let me see it."
The boy didn't respond.
"What?" King Cold smiled. "Too scared to hand it over?"
The boy drew the sword and tossed it to him without hesitation.
Smack!
King Cold caught it with one hand, smugness spreading across his face as he inspected the blade.
"So sharp." He clicked his tongue. "You beat Cooler's Armored Squadron and Frieza with this, didn't you?"
"What are you getting at?" The boy smiled.
"It's simple." King Cold shouted, lifting the sword high. "Without this, you can't win! You can't win!"
He swung straight for the boy's head.
The boy raised one hand and caught the blade barehanded.
King Cold's eyes bulged.
"You're wrong," the boy said, placing his other hand on King Cold's chest.
"W-wait! I-I actually like Vegeta!" King Cold blurted, panic flooding him.
Boom!
A blast punched straight through King Cold's heart.
King Cold flew backward and slammed into a boulder, dead before he hit the ground.
The boy fired again, erasing what was left.
Then he tossed out another blast and destroyed the spaceship for good measure.
He turned toward Ken and the others.
Mom told me about all of them… I can match the faces to the stories.
Huh? Who's that guy standing with mom?
He looked Ken over, then didn't seem surprised.
Maybe that's mom's boyfriend?.
"I'm going to welcome Son Goku-san!" the boy called out, smiling warmly. "You want to come with me?"
Everyone except Ken stared, stunned.
"How does he know about Dad?" Gohan turned to Ken. "Ken-san… who is he?"
"Go and you'll see." Ken smiled. "And I told you—he's Vegeta's son."
"Ken… stop joking!" Vegeta's hands clenched, sweat beading. "Even if I had a son, he wouldn't be that old!"
"Then let's go have a look," Ken said.
Ken carried Bulma and flew over.
"Ken, is he really Vegeta's son?" Bulma asked, still confused.
"He is," Ken said.
"No way. He looks at least in his teens." Bulma shook her head. "Emily was still in school back then. And she didn't even have a boyfriend."
"Bulma," Ken said, smiling, "have you ever heard of time travel?"
"Time travel?" Bulma gasped. "You mean… Vegeta's son came from the future?"
Ken nodded.
"That's actually real?" Bulma's curiosity lit up.
Ken didn't answer.
"Then… he's Emily's son?" Bulma asked again.
"Yes," Ken said.
Bulma clicked her tongue, amazed, then muttered, thinking aloud, "Then… his name is probably Trunks."
Ken looked at her. "Why do you say that?"
"In high school, Emily and I got put in the same class by coincidence." Bulma smiled, a little wistful. "We were close. We joked that if either of us had a son someday, we'd name him Trunks. If we had a daughter, we'd name her Bulla. Looks like Emily got to the boy name first."
"Let's ask him," Ken said, accelerating to catch up.
The boy: "…"
"Hi… hello…" He straightened and greeted them politely.
"You're Trunks, right?" Ken asked.
Ken could've checked with angel power, but why bother? If he could ask, he'd ask.
Up close, Ken studied him carefully. He really did resemble Trunks from the story—so much that, at a glance, you could miss the differences.
Emily, like Bulma, had blue hair, just a paler shade.
So Trunks' hair here looked slightly lighter than expected. Everything else lined up.
The boy froze, shocked.
Who is this guy?
How does he know my name?
This is bad!
If my name's that easy to call out, does that mean my identity's already blown?
Sweat slid down Trunks' face.
"Sorry… I can't say," Trunks said after hesitating, refusing to confirm it.
"Because you're Emily and Vegeta's son?" Ken asked, still smiling.
Trunks: "…"
Trunks' shock was written all over his eyes.
How do you know?
Did you hear me talking to Frieza?
I didn't sense anyone else—
Wait.
"How come I can't feel your ki at all?"
"W-who are you?" Trunks' expression tightened.
"You're lucky," Ken said. "You time-travelled into this era without running into the Space-Time God of Destruction."
"Y-you… you even know I time-travelled!" Trunks stared at Ken, so stunned he almost dropped out of the air.
Behind them, Vegeta and the others followed from several hundred metres away. They couldn't hear a word.
When they saw Trunks nearly lose altitude, everyone blinked.
"It looks like Ken knows him," Krillin muttered.
"Is he really your son, Vegeta?" Piccolo asked.
Vegeta: "…"
"How many times do I have to say it? If I had a kid, I'd know!" Vegeta snapped.
"If Ken says it, it's probably true," Krillin said, thinking.
"Let's get closer," Tien said. "Even if he's your son, he doesn't look like a bad guy."
Vegeta shot Tien a cold look.
So I'm the bad guy?
…Yeah, I was a bad guy.
I've killed plenty of innocent people.
Fine. I'll let that one slide.
And I do want to see who this kid really is.
No way he's my son.
They continued following.
"How do you know all this?" Trunks asked, still shaken.
"You don't know?" Bulma smiled. "Ken's a god. There isn't much a god doesn't know."
"A god?" Trunks went even paler. "You're a god?"
"You could say that," Ken replied with a small nod.
"Does… being a god actually help?" Trunks lowered his head.
In the future, even Kami got killed by the Androids.
So what if you know who I am?
I'll just keep my mouth shut.
"Can you keep it secret?" Trunks asked quickly. "My identity."
"There's nothing to hide," Ken said, amused.
Trunks: "…"
Trunks stopped talking.
Whoosh!
He flew ahead and landed in a region of towering stone spires.
Then he pulled out a Capsule and tossed it.
Pop!
A refrigerator appeared.
He opened it and waved to the group as they landed. "Goku-san won't reach Earth for another three hours. There are plenty of drinks here—help yourselves."
"Then I won't hold back," Bulma said, nodding.
"I want one too," Gohan said with a grin.
Bulma stepped closer, eyeing the model. "This looks like one of our company's fridges…"
"How do you know about my dad?" Gohan asked Trunks.
"I… heard about him." Trunks answered. "I've never met him."
"Then how do you know Goku will show up here in three hours?" Krillin asked.
Trunks faltered, unsure how to answer, then bowed his head slightly. "Sorry. I can't tell you."
"Why can't you?" Vegeta's patience snapped. "Who are you? Are you really my son?"
Trunks: "…"
Trunks wanted to cry.
I just got here and my cover's already dead.
"Sorry… I really can't say." Trunks looked even more guilty.
Dad, I'm sorry.
I can't say it.
If I do, you and Mom might split up… and then the me in this era won't exist.
Right now, you're only suspicious.
You don't believe it.
"When you beat Frieza, you were a Super Saiyan, right?" Gohan asked.
"Yes," Trunks nodded.
"Quit bluffing." Vegeta scowled. "The only Saiyans left are me, Ken, Broly, and the ones in Universe 6—wait. You're not from Planet Sadala in Universe 6, are you?"
"Universe 6? Planet Sadala?" Trunks blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"Hmph. Doesn't know anything, but claims he's a Saiyan." Vegeta looked more irritated by the second.
"Either way, he turned Super Saiyan and beat Frieza," Gohan said, backing Trunks up.
"Saiyans have black hair," Vegeta muttered, still unhappy.
Then he realised how that sounded and hurried to add, "Ken doesn't count! He's a god!"
Trunks paused.
Wait… Dad's saying Bulma-san's boyfriend might be a Saiyan too?
Did he become Earth's Kami?
Or did Kami pass the job to him?
That was the only explanation Trunks could even come up with. To him, "god" still meant "Kami."
"Alright, enough questions," Bulma said, giving Trunks a quick blink. "You're embarrassing him."
Then she leaned in and whispered, "Your mom and I are best friends."
"Thank you," Trunks said, relief all over his face.
The group finally settled down.
Ken didn't press Trunks' identity again. He'd said enough.
If Trunks didn't want to confirm it, that was his choice.
They waited for Goku's return.
Ken didn't have the patience to sit around. He raised his staff and contacted Goku through the crystal orb, telling him to hurry back.
"Huh? You're all waiting for me?" Goku's voice came through, surprised. "Who beat Frieza? That was amazing!"
"Come back and we'll talk," Ken said with a smile. "Didn't you learn Instant Transmission?"
"Hahaha! You caught me." Goku laughed. "Got it. I'll be right back…"
Inside the spaceship, Goku tried to lock onto Earth's ki.
A few seconds later—
"Sorry, Ken… I can't sense their ki." Goku sounded apologetic. "Can you have Piccolo or Gohan release their ki for a moment?"
Ken didn't object. He simply told Gohan to do it.
"Huh? Power up?" Gohan blinked. "That'll bring Dad back?"
Trunks looked completely lost.
What does that even mean?
Gohan didn't hesitate. He flared his ki.
The moment that power surged, Vegeta's expression shifted again and again.
Kakarot's kid… when did he get this strong?
He's almost catching up to me.
I need to train. Now.
"Gohan…" Piccolo looked quietly proud.
He really has grown.
Trunks was shocked too.
Gohan-nii-san is this strong already?
Right as Gohan's ki rose, Ken's staff suddenly trembled in his hand.
He looked down.
A call was coming in—from the Grand Priest.
Ken paused.
Why is the Grand Priest calling me?
He flashed to a spot with no one around and answered.
"Grand Priest, what's going on?" Ken asked.
"There's something important," the Grand Priest said, face serious. "Come here."
"What is it? You look like something terrible happened," Ken said, seeing that heavy expression in the crystal orb.
What could possibly make you look like that?
"Come first. I'll explain then," the Grand Priest said.
"Did Broly cause trouble?" Ken asked.
"It's connected to Broly… but it's not that he caused trouble." The Grand Priest shook his head. "You'll understand when you arrive. I won't come pick you up."
Ken: "…"
"With my current speed, it'll take me a full day to fly there," Ken said, exasperated.
"Sometimes flying is part of training," the Grand Priest replied, tone absolute. "Stop complaining and get moving. If you leave now, the timing should be just right."
Ken was speechless.
You could pick me up in an instant and you're making me fly.
Still, curiosity tugged at him.
Since I was born, I've never actually seen Zeno-sama.
If I'm going to the Grand Priest, I'll probably meet him this time.
Broly already has.
Might as well see it for myself.
After ending the call, Ken turned to Bulma. "Bulma, I'm leaving Earth for a bit. I'm not sure when I'll be back."
"Huh? You're leaving again…" Bulma blinked.
"I'm going," Ken said. He tapped his staff lightly against the ground.
Pop!
A star-bright flame wrapped around him.
Whoosh!
Ken became a streak of light, shot straight into the sky, and vanished into the stars.
Trunks stared, eyes wide.
What just happened?
That guy named Ken… he just flew off?
"Bulma-san… where… where did he go?" Trunks asked, stunned.
"I don't know where, but he left Earth," Bulma said.
"Left Earth?" Trunks' mouth fell open. "He just flew into space?"
Bulma nodded.
Trunks' shock deepened.
Into space?
Saiyans can't survive in space.
And his speed—he was gone in a blink.
Is he really a Saiyan?
And why can't I sense his ki at all?
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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