Gran slowly rose to his feet.
After remaining motionless for an entire year, every movement he made caused his muscles to crackle like beans popping on the ground—snap, snap, snap.
He stretched his body, then raised his hand in front of him.
With a single thought, the Time Ring on his middle finger emitted a silvery-white glow. In the next instant, a space-time tunnel formed before him.
Gran stepped forward—
And in the blink of an eye, he left the chaotic space-time turbulence behind.
He glanced back at that storm of disorder, ready to return to his original timeline.
Suddenly.
His expression changed.
He sensed something.
Turning his head sharply, he saw it—
An octopus-shaped machine gliding through the void ahead.
"…Huh? A time machine?"
Gran froze.
According to the original Dragon Ball timeline, Future Trunks would travel back to the past in Age 764, bringing medicine for Goku's heart disease.
But now, it was only Age 761.
There were still three years left before that event.
So how could there already be a time machine here…?
As Gran's thoughts raced, his eyes suddenly locked onto the figure inside the cockpit.
It wasn't Future Trunks.
It was—
A vibrant, beautiful young woman.
Bulma.
"What?!"
Gran's eyes widened.
What was she doing here?!
At the same time.
Inside the time machine, Bulma also noticed a figure hovering nearby.
That familiar silhouette....
That handsome presence....
It was Gran!
"That's amazing!"
"I knew it—Gran, you're not dead!"
Bulma waved frantically, her face lit with excitement.
She hurried to stop the machine, intending to let him in—
But suddenly...
The time machine reached its destination.
"Not good! Gran, get in quickly!"
Bulma's expression changed drastically as she shouted in panic.
But it was too late.
The machine plunged into a glowing sphere—
A gateway to an unknown timeline.
On Gran's side.
"Judging from her lips just now… she clearly recognizes me. That means she's Bulma from my timeline."
Gran frowned deeply.
He didn't understand why Bulma had appeared here—
But there was no way he could ignore it.
After all...
His "cat owner" had just entered an unknown timeline.
With a flick of his hand, the Time Ring glowed again. A new space-time tunnel opened before him, and he stepped inside without hesitation.
Meanwhile.
Bulma's time machine descended slowly toward the ground within this unfamiliar world.
"How did this happen… I finally found Gran…!!"
She pressed herself against the glass canopy, her eyes hollow, a deep sense of despair washing over her.
"Wait… I still have one chance left!"
As the machine landed, realization struck her.
She still had enough fuel for one final jump.
Hope reignited in her eyes.
Quickly, she replaced the fuel and prepared to activate the machine again.
Suddenly.
"Bulma, what are you doing here?"
A space-time rift opened beside the machine, and a familiar voice echoed out.
"…?!"
Bulma froze.
Turning her head, she saw—
Gran stepping out of the rift.
"AHHHHH!!!"
She burst into excited screams, waving her arms wildly.
"Gran! How did you get out?!"
She tried to jump out immediately—but the canopy was still closed. Flustered, she hurried to open it before leaping down.
Seeing her frantic behavior, Gran couldn't help but smile.
"Gran, how did you escape the space-time rift?" Bulma clenched her fists, asking again, unable to contain her excitement.
Gran looked her over, puzzled.
"…Don't tell me—you thought I was trapped in there the whole time?"
"Of course!" Bulma replied quickly. "Whis told me that after you defeated the God of Destruction of Universe 4, you were sucked into a space-time crack. So I immediately started researching a time machine…"
She went on, recounting everything she had done over the past year.
Especially—
Her words:
"Since Gran was trapped in the space-time rift, who cares whether manipulating time is a crime or not!"
"…You…"
It was as if lightning had struck him.
Gran stood there, stunned, unable to speak.
Just because she was worried about him—
She had built a time machine from scratch…
And thrown herself into the space-time rift to find him?!
This "cat owner" of his—
Was she trying to get herself killed?!
After a long pause, Gran finally forced out the words stuck in his throat:
"Bulma… how can you be so foolish?!"
"What do you mean foolish?! I'm very smart, okay!"
Completely missing the shift in his tone, Bulma puffed her cheeks and proudly patted the time machine beside her.
"My dad and I built this in just one year! And look—I used it to find you, Gran! And you're still calling me foolish?!"
"…You…"
Gran suddenly didn't know what to say.
He sighed helplessly, then smiled.
"Alright, alright. You're the smartest scientist in the world. Happy now?"
"Hehe, at least you've got good taste, Gran."
Her eyes sparkled at his praise.
"…Just don't do something this dangerous again," Gran said more softly. "This is time travel we're talking about. With your level of strength…"
No matter what—
She had done all this for him.
And he would be lying if he said he wasn't moved.
He simply didn't want her to get hurt.
"Okay, okay, stop already!" Bulma pouted. "You sound like an old man lecturing his daughter."
In her heart, she thought:
Gran has always been silently protecting Universe 7… how could I just leave him trapped in a space-time rift?
Besides… he's so handsome…
Flustered, she quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Gran—you said you weren't trapped. So how did you get out?"
She was still confused.
She had truly believed she would miss him again just moments ago.
"Didn't Whis tell you? I fell into a space-time turbulence and was taken away by the Supreme Kai of Time."
Gran briefly explained Chronoa's role.
"…Huh?!"
Bulma's eyes widened in shock.
She genuinely hadn't known.
For the past year, she had nearly exhausted herself trying to save him.
If she had known earlier—
She would never have gone through the trouble of building that machine.
"Whis definitely knew about this… so why didn't he tell you?"
Gran frowned, unable to understand Whis's actions.
"Wait… Gran…"
Bulma fell into deep thought, her expression growing increasingly strange.
"What is it?"
"I… I…"
She hesitated.
"Just say it," Gran said bluntly. "After what you've done for me, if you're ever in trouble—or if you have a wish—just tell me."
"It's not that…"
Bulma shook her head, swallowing nervously.
"When I asked Whis where you went, he said you were sucked into a space-time crack… and it sounded like he had more to say. But I got anxious and rushed straight into the lab to start building the time machine…"
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The two stared at each other.
"…Gran, are you laughing at me?" Bulma asked suspiciously, feeling something off in his expression.
"No," Gran said solemnly. "I've undergone professional training. Under normal circumstances, I never laugh."
His lips began to twitch uncontrollably.
"…unless I can't hold it in!"
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
Gran burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
END OF CHAPTER
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