Seeing Trunks disengage from his transformed state, Cado immediately asked. "What's wrong? Not fighting anymore?"
"Hehe…" Trunks scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. "No need. I can already tell you're incredibly strong. Fighting would be kind of pointless."
"Well then, what's your plan next?"
Cado also let go of the Kaio-ken technique, and his body returned to normal.
"With you here, getting rid of the androids should be a piece of cake, right? As long as they're taken care of here ahead of time, the future should be safe too!" Trunks grinned as he spoke, optimism lighting up his face again.
But Cado frowned upon hearing that and doused his enthusiasm with a cold bucket of reality.
"You're being way too naive. This timeline already has no connection with the one you came from."
"Even if I destroy the androids here, it won't change a thing for your future." Cado sighed.
Even without his involvement, the androids in the future would still need to be handled by Trunks.
"Ah…?" Trunks was hit by the realization, and the hope in his heart shattered once again.
'That's right... Cado doesn't exist in my future.'
'We're not even in the same timeline. What was I even thinking?'
Seeing Trunks's crestfallen face, Cado felt a twinge of sympathy.
The future really was a harsh place to survive.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in Cado's mind:
Ding!
[Androids 17 and 18 detected wreaking havoc in the future. Host, please make a choice!]
[Option 1: Respect the flow of history and let things be.
Reward: Fusion Technique.]
[Option 2: Save the future and eliminate the androids.
Reward: Controllable Super Saiyan Transformation.]
Upon hearing the second option, Cado's eyes lit up like headlights.
'Holy crap, Super Saiyan! It's finally here!'
'System, I choose Option Two!'
He didn't even hesitate. The allure of the Super Saiyan form was way too strong to pass up.
Cough cough—
After making his choice, Cado cleared his throat, catching Trunks's attention.
"Even though I can't change history, I can help you destroy the androids in your timeline."
Cado said with a solemn, almost saintly expression.
Of course, it was all an act—for the mission's sake.
"Huh? R-Really?" Trunks's eyes lit up with hope again, visibly excited.
"You never know unless you try." Cado shrugged casually.
Since the system issued this task, it was clearly doable.
"That's amazing! If you're coming with me, then the future is saved!" Trunks said, thrilled.
He had experienced Cado's power firsthand. If he could take this guy back to the future, the androids would be nothing.
"Let's get moving then. I'm a busy guy—let's handle this quick and clean." Cado said with a smirk.
"Right!" Trunks nodded seriously.
Then, with a leap, the two reappeared in front of the group.
"Everyone, I've got something to take care of with this young man. Piccolo will explain the details." Cado announced before climbing into the time machine with Trunks.
He knew Piccolo's sharp hearing had picked up every word of their earlier conversation.Who better to explain than him?
The machine slowly lifted off. As they ascended, Trunks caught a glimpse of his pitiful father lying stiffly on the ground below.
It was like an electric shock to his heart.
Cado noticed Trunks's reaction and calmly said. "Don't worry about Vegeta. He's just lightly injured. Once he gets a senzu bean, he'll be fine."
Of course, Cado had senzu beans—but he wasn't about to waste one on Vegeta.He wouldn't die anyway. Might as well save some resources!
Trunks gradually snapped out of it and pushed the thought from his mind, steering the machine forward until they vanished from the sky.
Cado and the boy's energy disappeared from Earth entirely.
The group below stood there, blinking in confusion, before all eyes turned toward Piccolo.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Piccolo calmly explained the boy's origins—And the terrible danger heading for Earth.
Even more shocking to everyone was the revelation that Cado was also a Saiyan—completely unimaginable.
As they processed everything, it was hard for anyone to believe at first.
"Alright, everyone—we need to start preparing too!" Goku still radiated enthusiasm.
"Better to believe it than not." Piccolo advised, his tone serious.
Whether the boy's claims were true or not, preparation was key.
The world he spoke of was nightmarish. Everyone there… was destined to die.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
"Yeah, I agree with Piccolo."
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to start my special training!" Goku said, his expression more serious than usual.
Cado's rapidly increasing strength had clearly lit a fire under him.
Without another word, he took off.
"We'll be going too!"
"See you later!"
"Catch ya!"
One by one, the Earth's defenders left the area, each looking for a place to train and prepare for the battle ahead.
All except one person…
Still lying tragically on the ground.
Completely forgotten.
"D-Dammit… I'm still here!!"
Vegeta croaked.
Unfortunately, no one heard him.
A cold wind blew across the field, leaving him sprawled out, utterly alone in the breeze.
⸻
WHOOSH!
The time machine zipped through time, not wasting a second.
It landed softly amidst a landscape of ruins in the future.
Creak—
The hatch slowly opened.
Cado leapt out and began surveying the area.
"Man… people in the future really have it rough." He sighed.
Broken buildings lay everywhere.
Scattered human remains littered the ground.
Though the sun was out, the sky was bleak and gray.
It looked like Earth was truly on the brink of collapse.
"Ah! Oh no, I forgot!!"
Trunks suddenly yelled, his face turning pale.
His outburst startled Cado.
"What is it? What'd you forget?"
He clutched his chest and asked casually.
"Goku has a viral heart disease."
"I forgot to tell him—and I didn't give him the medicine either!"
Trunks looked completely frustrated with himself.
Cado suddenly remembered too. That was a thing in the original timeline.
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring it to him when we go back."
Cado replied with a relaxed smile.