Chapter 153 – Farewell, Future Z Warriors
A blinding flash of light suddenly burst across the earth, followed by a sweeping hurricane that blew away the surrounding dust. The entire land trembled incessantly.
Buildings collapsed one after another, as if the end of the world had arrived.
The remaining survivors scattered in all directions, desperately searching for new places to take shelter.
Bulma watched the television broadcast, her heart trembling. She stared fixedly at the screen, anxiety etched deep in her face.
Next to the television sat a photo of Trunks, Gohan, and herself. Bulma clutched the fabric of her pants tightly.
"Don't worry... They're the sons of Vegeta and Goku. I have to believe in them!!"
"They'll definitely defeat the androids and bring peace to this world!!"
And indeed, peace did return to the world—but the final enemy wasn't defeated by Gohan and Trunks.
Amid the swirling smoke, Trunks, clutching his wounded shoulder, walked over to Gohan's side. The two stared silently at Lin Qi.
"Why are you two looking at me like that..." Lin Qi felt uneasy under their gaze. He reached up and scratched his cheek. "I didn't mean to..."
"Accidents happen sometimes. That Flash Cell guy just talked way too much—really a waste of time…"
"He's dead, Gohan! I can't sense that monster's energy anymore... It's true this time—he's really gone!!"
Trunks suddenly smiled, tears still lingering at the corners of his eyes. Excited, he gripped Gohan's hand.
"We won. We really won... The future will no longer be a world of violence..."
"Yeah." Watching the dazzling explosion of energy dissipate, Gohan finally relaxed his tightly clenched fists. "There probably won't be any more fighting..."
"I can finally fulfill Mom's wish and become a scholar!"
"???!!!" A flood of exclamation and question marks erupted over Lin Qi's forehead. Did he just hear that right?
"I feel like... maybe you really did deserve to be beaten to death..." Lin Qi muttered gloomily before vanishing from in front of Gohan and Trunks.
With no enemies left, all that remained was the aftermath. Thanks to Dende's repairs, Earth's Dragon Balls were usable again.
To Lin Qi's surprise, Trunks, in this peaceful new world, happened to meet his destined girl—Mai.
A young Mai?!
As for why Mai, who should be from the same era as Goku, had become a child—well, that was thanks to Pilaf's wish to Shenron in the past. Best not to dwell on it.
When Gohan and Trunks gathered all seven Dragon Balls and arrived at Kami's Lookout, Shenron—absent from Earth for so long—appeared once again in the darkened sky, his massive green form looming in and out of the clouds.
Trunks was stunned. "So this is Shenron... He's huge—way bigger than I imagined!"
Shenron's blood-red eyes lit up, his majestic gaze fixed on the people standing on the lookout.
"Speak... state your wishes. I can grant you two."
"Long time no see, Shenron!" Gohan smiled brightly. "I wish for everyone who was killed by the androids to be brought back to life!"
"That is no problem. But... anyone who has already been revived before cannot be revived again!" Shenron's eyes gleamed with an eerie glow.
Trunks, who had been grinning just moments ago, suddenly looked crestfallen. He was already sensing the Earth's energy.
Most humans had returned to life. But his father... Mr. Goku, Piccolo, Yamcha...
All those who had died once before—including all the Z Warriors—had not been revived.
"Maybe I should make a trip to Namek. Their Shenron can revive people an unlimited number of times, no matter how many times they've died!"
Seeing Trunks's disappointment, Lin Qi offered calmly, "It's just a matter of passing along a message, after all."
"I..." Just as Trunks was about to speak, a voice boomed in everyone's ears—one all too familiar.
"Meddler!" came Vegeta's proud tone.
"With you guys around, Earth will be fine. No need to bring us back. The afterlife's not bad either!" added Goku's voice.
Then Piccolo spoke. "Yeah, there are plenty of strong opponents here too."
Tien: "Gohan, Trunks, Earth is in your hands now!"
Chiaotzu: "Right! I'm fine anywhere, as long as I'm with Tien!"
Krillin: "Gohan, Trunks... you've both grown up!"
"Sigh..." Gohan let out a breath, as if he had expected this. "I knew it. Dad and the others don't want to be revived..."
"You still have one wish remaining..." Shenron, who had been waiting this whole time, wiped cold sweat from his brow.
Why does this always happen? He's the great Shenron, yet always ends up waiting for these people's wandering conversations!
"There's still a lot of damage across Earth. Shenron, can you restore everything?" Gohan finally voiced the last wish.
"That's easy!" Shenron's crimson eyes flared as divine energy enveloped the entire planet.
Cities left in ruins were instantly restored, as if nothing had ever happened.
With the wishes fulfilled, Shenron took his leave. "Your wishes have been granted! Farewell!"
His body shimmered with a gentle glow, breaking into seven streaks of light that scattered across the globe.
Even in this future, everything was finally moving toward a better path.
Lin Qi looked at the now much more mature and composed Gohan and Trunks standing before him. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go, too..."
"Thank you—for everything you've done to help us!" Gohan said sincerely, though there was a trace of reluctance in his expression.
"We might meet again someday!" Lin Qi didn't seem too concerned. He waved at the two of them.
"Don't slack off on your training. There might still be powerful enemies out there! You're the new generation of Z Warriors!"
"Yes!" Just like they had back in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, both of them gave Lin Qi a formal military-style salute.
"Oh right. If you ever face an enemy you can't defeat, I can teach you this technique!" Lin Qi handed over a videotape.
"This is called the Fusion Technique! I had someone record it—full explanations, all the details included! I even thought of the name for you!"
"We'll call it... Gohanks!"
"If you get the chance, you should visit King Kai and continue training. You can still see your fathers there!"
Having said all that needed saying, Lin Qi waved and leapt into the sky. "Goodbye!"
Several streaks of light shot past Kami's Lookout...
As for the future of this timeline, Lin Qi felt completely at ease. He gazed into the endless horizon.
The energy of Supreme Kai... Shin...
But Lin Qi didn't leave just yet. Instead, he used Instant Transmission to head to the afterlife—to visit Goku and the others.