The rain relentlessly hammered the city.
Son Gohan stood up, letting the downpour wash over him. He offered a brilliant smile to the petrified Trunks.
After gently patting Trunks' shoulder, the latter snapped back to reality. He looked at Son Gohan, his body trembling, an expression of disbelief plastered on his face. "Gohan... Brother... Is... is this a hallucination!?"
"It's not a hallucination. I'm right here. I didn't die, Trunks. You did well. You finally became a Super Saiyan!" Son Gohan said with a hearty laugh.
"Gohan... Brother... It's so good that you're alright. I thought... I thought you were really dead." Trunks wiped the tears streaming down his face, sobbing as he spoke, word by word. "Gohan Brother, did you do this so I could become a Super Saiyan? Aren't the Androids that powerful?"
"No..." Hearing this, Son Gohan's expression turned serious. He seemed to sense a hint of arrogance in Trunks' heart after achieving Super Saiyan. Faced with this situation, he chose to curb it in time: "In a certain sense, I did die once. If it weren't for Ling An's help, perhaps I really would have died. The Androids are still a terrifying threat!"
"Ling... Ling An's help?" Trunks was stunned. "Who's that?"
"If there are no accidents, that should be me." Son Gohan had been about to explain, but at that moment, Ling An floated down, appearing beside the two of them. Seeing her, Trunks widened his eyes. After a few breaths, he looked at Son Gohan, using his eyes to ask who this was.
"This is Ling An, the one I was telling you about. She saved me when I was on the brink of death. If it weren't for her, I might really be dead already, gone to the afterlife." Son Gohan's eyes still held gratitude as he spoke.
"So… so that's how it is."
Although Trunks was also curious about what exactly Ling An was, Son Gohan hadn't gone into detail. He wouldn't be so tactless as to press for more information. Facing Ling An, he bowed deeply and said in a solemn voice, "Sister Ling An, thank you for saving Gohan!"
Trunks' gratitude was also from the bottom of his heart. Especially just now, he had deeply and truly experienced the pain and sorrow of Son Gohan's death. It was a heart-wrenching grief. If it weren't for Ling An, he might have had to face that reality.
Ling An just squinted her eyes at the words, waving her hand with a smile, "There's no need for thanks. After all, as an Earthling, I'm also grateful that Gohan has repeatedly stepped up to fight the Androids. Also, it was my suggestion to have Gohan feign death in order to stimulate you to become a Super Saiyan. I deceived you, so I hope you won't blame me."
Ling An actually quite liked the Trunks of the future. After Son Gohan died, he relied on his strength, which wasn't even as great as Son Gohan's, to fight the Androids time and again. In a certain timeline, after killing Androids 17 and 18, he was ambushed and killed by Cell. And in the timeline where he wasn't killed by Cell, the entire universe was destroyed because of Goku Black, leaving only him and Mai.
It could be said that this was an extremely tragic life. And because of his actions and his handsome face, Trunks' characteristics of being a beautiful and strong tragic hero attracted a lot of fans.
The Trunks in front of them, although he hadn't yet grown into his future form, was already a self-reliant little boy.
"That won't happen. It's because of your suggestion that I was able to transform into a Super Saiyan." Trunks shook his head, looking incredibly serious as he listened to Ling An.
"That's good." Ling An chuckled and patted the little boy's golden hair. Hmm, she was mostly curious if these upstanding hairs were hard or soft. However, it was clear that although they were standing upright, they were still flowing hair.
"Let's go back first, otherwise Aunt Bulma will worry," Son Gohan reminded them from the side. Hearing this, Trunks quickly dispelled his Super Saiyan state, exhaled gently, and nodded.
Son Gohan glanced at Ling An, then burst with ki and took to the air. Trunks did the same, and finally, Ling An followed behind the two of them.
The three were flying. Because Son Gohan needed to lead the way, Ling An was a few positions behind them. At this moment, Trunks approached Son Gohan and cautiously said, "Gohan, who exactly is Ling An? She was able to save you from near death in such a short time, and… she seems to have considerable fighting strength. Even when I become a Super Saiyan, I can still feel her power. She said she's a human, but can humans… really cultivate to this level?"
"I don't know either…" Son Gohan gently shook his head. "The strongest martial artist I know on Earth is Uncle Krillin, but even Uncle Krillin is far from comparable to Ling An. Not to mention Uncle Krillin, I think Uncle Piccolo is the same… Perhaps, as she said, she is special."
After finishing these words, Son Gohan turned and glanced at Ling An, who was following them. Then, he said to Trunks solemnly:
"Trunks, I understand that you are wary of everything because of the Androids, but I believe Ling An is not an evil being. If she were, she definitely wouldn't have saved me from the brink of death. She could have just ignored me, right? And… you don't have to worry about these things at all. Now you can already become a Super Saiyan. Although Ling An is powerful, you can defeat her even if you transform into a Super Saiyan. If she really is evil, your strength should be able to handle it. So, you don't have to worry, right?"
"..."
Son Gohan's words gave Trunks a moment of deep thought. After a while, he nodded firmly at Son Gohan. "Gohan-gege, I also believe that Ling An-jiejie is a good person, a kind person."
"Yeah!" Son Gohan patted Trunks on the shoulder with a smile. "Trunks, you can already transform into a Super Saiyan. Next, I'll talk to Aunt Bulma and have her agree to let me train you properly. Once you've completely stabilized the Super Saiyan stage, you can fight the Androids with me. We'll work together and completely destroy the Androids!"
"Really?! That's great!"
Trunks flipped with joy, startling Ling An, who was following behind them. She almost stopped, completely unsure what this little kid was suddenly doing.
The three of them sped along the way and soon returned to Bulma's home. Bulma's home was in West City, which had been destroyed by the Androids long ago, so it was full of ruins. But because the Androids generally wouldn't return to a destroyed city to cause further damage, West City had gathered some residents, though not many. Occasionally, a few figures could be seen.
Bulma's home had also suffered damage, but with the Saiyans around, fixing it up a bit was possible. Besides, Bulma herself was an outstanding scientist. Although she couldn't use the resources of Capsule Corporation in this apocalyptic world, she could still manage a small household.
Bulma was even conducting all sorts of research, including a time machine.
"Mom, we're back!"
Trunks landed and quickly ran towards the house. Son Gohan introduced Ling An, "This is Aunt Bulma's house. Aunt Bulma is also a human, but she's a very amazing scientist."
"Mm." Ling An nodded slightly. In a certain sense, she probably knew more about Bulma than Son Gohan did, but she didn't say anything. After all, it was already quite amazing that she knew about Saiyans. If she knew everything about relationships as well, it would be a bit unbelievable.
Soon, Bulma came out with Trunks. She looked at the disheveled Son Gohan, her eyes sparkling. After a long while, she said softly, "Gohan, I'm just glad you're okay!"
"Aunt Bulma, I'm sorry for worrying you." Son Gohan said, then introduced Ling An to Bulma. Listening to his introduction, Bulma looked at Ling An, her eyes instantly becoming bright. She exclaimed, "It's truly unbelievable! A human, possessing such incredible power. Ling An-chan, thank you so much for saving Gohan!"
Ling An could tell that Bulma was very interested in her. This was normal. After all, Bulma wasn't Trunks or Son Gohan. She had grown up with Son Goku from childhood to the present, and she understood better than anyone that humans excelled in brains, not bodies. Someone like Dr. Gero could easily create Androids more terrifying than Super Saiyans, but humans were almost at the bottom of the universe when it came to training.
Even Master Roshi, who was called the Martial Arts Immortal, only had a power level of a little over a hundred. Although this record was later far surpassed by Krillin, Krillin still hadn't reached a million in power level. So when Son Gohan said that Ling An was only slightly weaker than a Super Saiyan, Bulma was filled with surprise and disbelief.
Not to mention that Ling An also possessed skills outside of training, and Son Gohan had even survived thanks to this ability.
When did such a formidable being appear on Earth?
"You've been fighting for so long, you must be hungry. I've just finished making food. Gohan, and Ling An-chan, why don't you come eat at my place?"
Bulma was no longer the boisterous little girl she once was. Having experienced Son Goku's departure, Vegeta's departure, and the Androids' rampage, she was more mature than anyone else. Therefore, she didn't delve into certain matters. In her eyes, it was enough that Son Gohan was standing there, safe and sound.
Hearing Bulma's words, Son Gohan was enthusiastic. Although he had eaten a lot of canned meat, as a descendant of a Saiyan, he could always eat a lot.
....
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