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Earth. Capsule Corporation.
Seven years had passed since the defeat of Cell and Bojack.
"Big Brother! You're skipping school again?!" The voice belonged to a sweet little girl with bright blue hair, clearly Bulma's daughter.
After the crisis with Cell and Bojack, which was ultimately resolved by Vegeta and Gohan, Bulma had kept her promise.
This was Bulma and Vegeta's second child, Bulla.
The adorable girl stood on tiptoe, pouting as she scolded Trunks, who was already dressed in his martial arts gi. Trunks turned around with a playful grin, clasping his hands together.
"It's the usual, my dear sister, just tell them I'm sick."
With that, he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to her, and Bulla's eyes lit up as she eagerly reached for it.
Trunks had spent nearly a year training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Though he was only seven chronologically, he was technically eight, so he was taller and stronger than most his age, including Bulla.
Satisfied with the treat in her hand, Bulla nodded in agreement. Both siblings were of school age now, just starting first grade this year.
But since the school term began, Trunks had been skipping class regularly. Being the son of the Capsule Corporation's president and the world's richest woman meant the teachers weren't exactly enforcing attendance.
Licking her lollipop, Bulla glanced up at Trunks and asked: "Aren't you curious, though? I made a new friend! She's a transfer student!"
Trunks waved her off casually, clearly uninterested.
"I've got more important things to do, like training."
"Aren't you afraid Mom and Dad will find out you've been ditching school?"
Trunks paused as he adjusted his gi, then smiled to himself. If Vegeta found out he was skipping school to train, wouldn't that just make him proud? Honestly, Vegeta let Trunks do whatever he wanted, as long as it involved getting stronger, he'd be the first to cheer him on.
As for Bulma… well, she might scold him a little, but in the end, she'd let it slide.
'School? What did the heir to Capsule Corp need school for, anyway?'
With that thought, a proud grin crossed Trunks' face.
Bulla looked confused. "Hey, what are you smiling about?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Trunks quickly said, "It's nothing, Bulla. If Mom and Dad get mad, just help me smooth things over, okay? I'll give you lollipops every day."
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. Bulla was the apple of their parents' eyes, if she spoke up for him, Bulma's anger would probably vanish.
"Okay then, I'm off to school," Bulla chirped.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed out a Hoi-Poi Capsule. A small aircraft popped out, and she climbed aboard before zooming off.
Trunks, meanwhile, shot into the sky, heading toward a remote island. The wind whipped past him as he soared, surveying the landscape below.
After seven years of peace and reconstruction, the Earth had regained much of its former vitality. While a few areas were still rebuilding, West City had long since returned to its bustling, modern self.
As Trunks zipped through the sky, a familiar figure below caught his eye.
A blond-haired boy was taking down a group of bank robbers with swift precision.
"Gohan's out saving people again."
Since peace had returned to Earth, Gohan hadn't slacked off. He'd balanced studying and training, and that was largely thanks to Trunks. To avoid the future where Gohan gave up fighting, as he had in Dragon Ball Super, Trunks had pestered him relentlessly to keep training.
He had even snuck one of Vegeta's gravity chambers, custom-built by Bulma, into a Hoi-Poi Capsule and gifted it to Gohan in secret.
Thanks to that, Gohan's strength hadn't diminished. And by training with him, Trunks had also grown much stronger.
Just then, another familiar presence caught Trunks' attention in the city.
A twin-tailed girl was secretly following Gohan, her eyes fixed on him with admiration. She had already discovered that he was the mysterious Saiyan superhero.
Trunks grinned. "What a twist of fate. What a cute couple."
He chuckled to himself, then blasted forward at full speed, leaving the city behind.
Soon, Trunks' figure descended upon a small island.
It was a remote spot, far from the mainland and surrounded by endless ocean, rarely visited and largely unknown. The scenery was breathtaking, untouched by civilization, radiating a raw, natural beauty.
Tap--!
The sound of footsteps echoed lightly against the rocky ground.
Just then, Trunks' expression sharpened.
Whoosh--!
Without warning, five energy blasts shot toward him from hidden spots in the surrounding brush. Trunks reacted instantly, pushing off the ground with his palms and rolling smoothly across the terrain.
The blasts missed, colliding with the mountain behind him and exploding on impact.
Roar--!
Wild animal cries echoed through the forest in response, and a moment later, five small figures emerged from the trees.
They were none other than the Mini Cells, spawned from Cell during his final rampage.
Gohan had failed to fully wipe them out, and thanks to their shared DNA with Cell, their regeneration abilities were formidable enough to keep them alive.
Once Cell was gone, they'd been leaderless, forced into hiding. To avoid being found by Gohan or Vegeta, they had burrowed themselves deep in this remote region.
In the beginning, Trunks had sparred with Gohan to sharpen his skills. But he soon realized that there were limits. Gohan's sheer strength meant that he was often sent flying with a single hit, which was helpful at first, but it didn't push his growth beyond a point.
Eventually, Trunks tracked down these Mini Cells and began using them as live sparring partners.
Now, as the five of them charged in, Trunks activated his power.
A surge of golden energy burst forth as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. His aura flared wildly as he pushed his form to its peak.
One of the Mini Cells cried out, "No way! How is Boss's aura even stronger than last month?!"
Another one squinted through the brightness, shielding his eyes. "Whoa! He really does look like Gohan back in the day!"
After being beaten to a pulp countless times, the Mini Cells had stopped resisting.
They'd once been rowdy and rebellious, but Trunks had crushed their pride battle after battle. Eventually, they acknowledged him as their leader.
Since Trunks referred to Gohan as his "big brother," the Mini Cells also came to admire Gohan.
Bang--!
Before the chatter could continue, Trunks appeared in front of two of them in a flash, sending them flying into the other three with a single sweeping kick.
All five collapsed, groaning and holding their stomachs. Trunks stood tall, withdrawing his leg as his aura simmered.
"I told you, stop calling me 'Boss.'" He didn't have much affection for these creatures. After all, their original form had tried to rip his father apart.
The only reason he hadn't annihilated them was because they'd shown signs of change, agreeing to train under his supervision.
One of the Mini Cells instantly sprang up and bowed repeatedly.
"Understood! Yes, Trunks Sama! Got it!"
"Trunks Sama is amazing! You've gotten even stronger since last time!"
Trunks let out a slow breath, his gaze distant as he recalled the last seven years.
During that time, he hadn't dared to rest, training nonstop. He knew his very existence had already shifted the course of this world's history. What changes it might bring to the future, he couldn't say. All he could do was keep getting stronger.
Still… after seven years of grueling effort, he'd only just reached full-powered Super Saiyan.
The threats ahead would easily be on the level of Super Saiyan 2 or beyond aAnd without Goten in this timeline, the idea of fusing into Gotenks was completely off the table.
"No... You guys can't help me improve anymore. Time's running out." With that thought, Trunks dropped several Hoi-Poi Capsules on the ground, then shot into the sky, vanishing in a streak of light.
The Mini Cells stared after him, then quickly turned to the capsules, their eyes sparkling.
"Oooh! I wonder what toys Boss, I mean, Trunks Sama, left us this time!"
"Hey! He said not to call him Boss! Are your ears broken?! It's Trunks Sama!"
Bang--!
The capsules burst open, scattering piles of toys across the ground. The Mini Cells cheered in delight. Trunks always left them toys after training sessions, his version of a reward system.
It was these bribes that kept them coming back for more beatdowns.
Despite being spawned from Cell, their minds were still like children's, and their bodies hadn't matured, either.
"Hey, did anyone catch what Trunks Sama meant just now?" One of them asked.
The smartest of the group suddenly froze, then gasped, "Wait… does he think we're too weak?!"
"If he stops training with us… does that mean no more toys?!"
The others stared in horror, then all began shouting in panic.
Since their creation, their power had plateaued around late-stage Super Saiyan. None of them ever took training seriously, and that's exactly why Trunks outpaced them so easily.
"No way! If we want toys, we've got to train harder!"
"For the toys!!"
The Mini Cells roared in unison, their voices echoing through the island air.
(End of Chapter)
PS-"For every 100 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-42!"