The silence after the storm was heavy.
Everyone had gone their separate ways after Gohan's explosive transformation. Goku had tried to lighten the mood, Krillin had offered jokes that fell flat, and Kai had stayed quiet, offering only a nod of acknowledgment before vanishing from the chamber with that unreadable calm.
But Vegeta had said nothing.
No smirk. No challenge. Just a clenched jaw and a stare locked on the boy until the very end.
Now, deep within Capsule Corp's reinforced gravity chamber, set at 450 times Earth's gravity, Vegeta stood alone.
His armor was cracked from overuse. His gloves were torn at the knuckles. And his breathing… ragged.
"A child."
He threw a punch. The air cracked with the force of it.
"A half-breed child."
Another punch. Then a flurry. The steel walls trembled. The chamber lights flickered.
"How…?"
He roared, driving his knee upward into the air, then twisted and unleashed a blast that exploded across the far wall — the containment field flickering as it barely held.
Gohan's image wouldn't leave his mind.
The way the boy's hair had flared into gold. The way the others had looked at him. Like he was something more. Something greater.
That should have been him.
He collapsed to his knees, panting, sweat falling like rain off his chin.
A flash hit his mind — not of Gohan, but of Frieza. Standing above him. Smiling.
Of Zarbon's fist cracking his ribs.
Of being called a dog.
Of the destruction of his homeworld.
"Never again," he whispered. "I will never be beneath anyone again…"
His aura spiked violently, electricity crawling up his shoulders for half a second—then vanishing.
The pain came instantly. He clutched his side, breath shallow. The toll was catching up. The gravity crushed against his back, forcing him face-first to the floor.
He barely had the strength to lift his head.
But behind his bloodshot eyes, a golden spark flickered.
Kai stood on the rooftop overlooking the training compound. The stars above West City shimmered like tiny distant watchers. Beneath him, deep within the gravity chamber, he could still feel Vegeta pushing himself past exhaustion, chasing ghosts, chasing power.
Kai didn't interfere.
Some journeys had to be walked alone.
Then, the air shifted.
Not wind. Not ki. Something deeper. Space itself folded inward like fabric being pinched.
Kai's eyes opened slowly. A vertical tear appeared just behind him — a ripple in reality, quiet and humming. A figure stepped out, sword across his back, lavender hair brushing his cheek in the breeze.
Kai didn't turn around right away. He just smirked.
"Trunks, right?"
The boy stiffened. "How did you—?"
Kai turned, hands in his pockets. "Lucky guess. Or… let's call it intuition."
Trunks hesitated. "…My mother and my aunt both trusted you. My aunt—Bulma—told me you always had a way of knowing things you shouldn't."
Kai smiled faintly. "She's not wrong."
Trunks stepped forward cautiously. "Your wife, Bulma—built the time machine. She's the one who pushed me to use it. She said… if anyone had answers, it'd be you."
Kai's expression softened just a little. "Sounds like her."
"She said you disappeared one day," Trunks went on. "Just left a note."
Kai's brows raised. "Did I?"
Trunks nodded. "It only said one thing: 'I've gone to see Owen.'"
The name hung in the air like thunder before a storm.
Trunks looked him in the eye. "Who's Owen?"
Kai looked out over the city. "…A friend. From very, very far away."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It's not supposed to."
Trunks stared at him, frustrated. "You were the strongest. The others looked up to you. But after you vanished…"
Kai turned his head slowly.
"…something came, didn't it?"
Trunks's voice dropped to a whisper. "It called itself the Destroyer of Worlds. Said we were a plague on creation. And it started wiping us out."
Kai said nothing.
"We tried to fight it," Trunks said. "All of us. Me, Gohan, Piccolo, even Dad. And Goku… but…"
He lowered his gaze.
"…They all died."
Kai's jaw tensed. His mind flicked to Owen — and to the feeling he got that night. That dream.
Trunks took a step closer. "Your wife — Bulma — told me to come find you. She thought maybe… you could stop it. Or at least explain what's happening."
Kai was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "You're strong, Trunks. I can tell. That timeline forged you into a real warrior."
Trunks looked surprised. "You mean that?"
Kai nodded. "And I can feel you've been trained by someone good. My future self?"
Trunks swallowed. "Yeah. He trained us all. Pushed us hard, but… he made us strong."
Kai sighed through his nose. "Then I owe it to him to finish what he started. We'll be ready."
Trunks stood straighter. "Thank you, Mister Kai. I… I didn't know what to expect."
Kai smirked. "Probably not a guy in sweatpants who makes bad jokes."
Trunks actually cracked a smile. "No, sir. Not at all."
Kai stepped forward and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Tell Bulma… thanks for building the machine. And tell her she's still the scariest genius I've ever met."
Trunks nodded. "I will."
"And tell her," Kai added, "she was right about the wrench thing."
Trunks blinked. "You mean the one she threw at you for suggesting she set her sister up with Vegeta?"
Kai sighed. "That one."
Trunks actually laughed. "Yeah. That tracks."
The time ripple shimmered behind him.
Kai let go of his shoulder. "Go back. Be safe. And if things get worse again… come find me."
"I will, sir."
The portal swallowed Trunks in a flicker of light.
Kai stood alone once more on the rooftop, eyes narrowing at the sky.
So. Something worse was coming.
And Owen… Owen was watching.
"Alright," Kai muttered to the night. "Let's see how far we can take this."