"Uncle Krillin?"
Gohan had finally stopped crying.
He looked up, his single eye fixed on the absurdly muscular bald man standing before him.
In his memory, Uncle Krillin had always been short, noseless (well... still no nose), and constantly cheering him on from behind.
The man in front of him now...
...looked more like a humanoid Gundam.
"Are... are you really Uncle Krillin?"
Gohan scratched his head uncertainly.
"Did you go to Planet Namek and learn some kind of Giant Transformation technique?"
"Oh, shut it."
Krillin knocked him lightly on the head.
Then his gaze drifted to the empty sleeve hanging at Gohan's side.
The scar where the arm had once been was hideously twisted.
It was the wound he'd received while saving Trunks, when Android 17's energy blast had severed his arm clean off.
With no Senzu Beans.
No medical treatment.
He had survived purely through his own will and Saiyan vitality.
That missing arm represented both his glory...
...and the suffering of this world.
"Have you gotten used to it?" Krillin asked quietly.
"A long time ago."
Gohan wiped his face and forced out a smile.
"The only real inconvenience is taking a bath with one hand."
"My fighting ability hasn't dropped that much..."
"I think."
Stubborn kid.
Krillin shook his head.
Losing an arm affected far more than appearances.
His balance.
His center of gravity.
Even the circulation of his ki had been permanently disrupted.
Only someone as gifted as Gohan could invent an entirely new one-armed fighting style.
Had he possessed both arms...
The Androids never would have defeated him.
"Stand up straight."
Krillin suddenly spoke.
"Huh?"
Before Gohan could react...
Krillin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't move."
His voice became calm and solemn.
He activated the Martial God Core within him.
This wasn't ki.
It was a higher-dimensional power that governed life itself.
The life force stored within the divine core flowed outward as an emerald-green stream of light, instantly enveloping Gohan's shoulder.
"Urgh!"
Gohan groaned.
It itched.
An unbearable itch.
Like countless ants crawling through the gaps in his bones.
Like cracked earth finally receiving rain after years of drought, with countless sprouts bursting through the soil.
"What's happening...?"
Beside them, Goku's eyes widened.
He could clearly sense it.
Ki was regenerating at Gohan's missing arm.
"Hang in there."
Krillin grinned.
"Growing new bones hurts."
Crack... crack... crack...
The sound of rapidly growing bones made everyone's skin crawl.
Right before their eyes...
The empty sleeve suddenly began to bulge.
First came bone.
Then crimson muscle fibers wrapped themselves around it like living vines.
Finally...
Fresh skin covered everything.
Five seconds.
Only five seconds.
A completely new arm had grown from nothing.
The green light faded away.
Gohan stared blankly at his restored left hand.
Smooth skin.
No scars.
Long, powerful fingers.
He cautiously flexed them.
Opened his hand.
Closed it again.
For the first time in years...
Both arms moved in perfect balance.
His ki flowed through his body without interruption, completing a flawless circuit.
"My... my arm..."
His voice trembled.
With his right hand, he touched the newly restored left arm.
It was warm.
It was real.
"How is this possible...?"
Even Piccolo stood frozen in disbelief.
"A Divine Restoration Technique."
Krillin dusted off his hands.
"There."
"You look much better now."
"A one-armed hero looks cool, sure."
"But eating with two hands is a lot easier."
"Uncle Krillin!"
Thud!
Gohan dropped to his knees, ready to kowtow.
"Whoa, whoa, stop!"
Krillin hurriedly grabbed him and pulled him back up.
"If you really want to thank me..."
"Then stop crying so much."
"Show some Saiyan pride."
"Yes, sir!"
Gohan shouted at the top of his lungs.
Confidence shone across his face like never before.
With Gohan taken care of...
Krillin turned toward Trunks.
The young Saiyan was staring at him with eyes so full of admiration they practically glowed.
"Trunks."
"Sir!"
Trunks immediately stood at attention.
Krillin wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him a short distance away.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Listen carefully."
The playful smile disappeared from his face.
His expression turned serious.
"The Androids in this world are gone."
"But our timeline hasn't reached that point yet."
Trunks nodded.
"I know."
"Three years from now..."
"That's right."
Krillin interrupted him.
"But history has already changed."
"The Androids in our timeline could become even stronger than the ones here."
"And an even more terrifying monster might appear."
The image of Perfect Cell flashed through Krillin's mind.
Not to mention Android 16.
Thanks to the butterfly effect...
Who knew how much stronger everything might become?
For some reason...
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong.
"So you can't let your guard down."
Krillin looked him straight in the eyes.
"Spend these next three years training with everything you've got."
"This world has peace now."
"But you still have Gohan."
"You have Vegeta."
"You have Goku."
"On May 12th, three years from now..."
"You must come back through time."
"We'll need you."
Of course...
What Krillin was really thinking was something else entirely.
If Trunks never encountered Cell...
Then the odds of him being ambushed and killed by Cell later were practically one hundred percent.
Although Trunks didn't understand why someone as powerful as Krillin would need his help...
He still nodded firmly.
"I understand!"
"I'll be there!"
"No matter what happens!"
"Good."
Krillin smiled and patted him on the back.
Just then...
A loud argument erupted nearby.
"Hey! Future me!"
"What kind of cheap garbage is that battle armor?"
"You actually fought wearing something that pathetic?"
Present-day Vegeta was criticizing Future Vegeta's wardrobe from every possible angle.
Future Vegeta's face turned bright red.
"That's the best armor our shelter could make!"
"What would a spoiled prince like you know?!"
"Tch."
"A loser is a loser."
"Even your clothes are embarrassing."
Present Vegeta casually tossed him a Capsule.
"Take it."
"The latest battle armor."
"Don't disgrace me."
Though...
The more embarrassing one might actually be himself.
Future Vegeta instinctively caught it.
He froze for a moment.
Then snorted.
"...Nosy bastard."
A tsundere meeting another tsundere.
Somehow...
The scene was strangely harmonious.
"Alright, let's move!"
Krillin shouted, interrupting the bizarre family reunion.
"If we stay any longer, all these time paradoxes are going to fry your brains."
Present Goku looked at Future Gohan with obvious reluctance.
"Gohan."
"Take care of yourself."
"Listen to your mom."
"And don't forget to keep training."
"I will, Dad."
Gohan fought back his tears as he waved goodbye.
"Preparing to teleport."
Krillin activated the Supreme Kai Instant Transmission once more.
Golden light wrapped around everyone from the present timeline.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Trunks and Gohan waved with all their strength.
Flash!
The golden light vanished.
Along with it...
So did Krillin and the others.
Only the world they had saved remained behind.
A world that had finally welcomed its first true dawn.
--------------------------------
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