Start in Dragon Ball GT, Super Saiyan 5 Defeats the God of Destruction

Chapter 146: Acquaintance – I'll Take You Somewhere

No. 18 tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a playful glint in her eye. "Looks like it's finally time for me to clean up what's left of you survivors in West City."

She eyed Gohan, who had just set Trunks down, and seemed to suddenly recall something. "Oh… you look familiar. So that's it!"

"You're that brat from before… the one who abandoned his companions and ran away. You've grown up, huh?"

Trunks froze, stunned by her words. What was she talking about?

"That's me," Gohan admitted bluntly. His long bangs obscured his eyes. "Trunks… go back now!"

"Huh?" Trunks couldn't react immediately, but quickly shook his head and refused with conviction. "No… I can't, Gohan!"

Fwoosh—

A golden aura flared to life around Gohan, and as his hair turned gold, he looked sternly at Trunks and rebuked him.

"Didn't you hear what I said, Trunks?!"

No. 18's lips curled up at the transformation, while Trunks' eyes widened in disbelief, his pupils shrinking.

"I became a Super Saiyan… the moment Uncle Piccolo and the others died," Gohan said grimly. "The power of a Super Saiyan… is fueled by nothing but rage and hatred."

Seeing Gohan's transformation, No. 18's smirk grew even wider. "I remember now…"

"That guy who kept calling himself the Prince of Saiyans—Vegeta, was it? He transformed just like that!"

"Vegeta? My dad?!" Trunks' eyes went impossibly wide.

"Haha… the one who died by my hand was your father?" No. 18 laughed, clearly amused.

She raised one hand and fired a powerful energy blast straight at Trunks. "Then go follow in your father's footsteps!"

She attacked without hesitation, leaving Trunks no time to dodge.

Lin Qi dashed forward, but Gohan—being closer—shoved Trunks out of the way just in time.

"Trunks—!"

The explosion from the energy blast engulfed Gohan completely in smoke and debris.

"Gohan…" Trunks fell to the ground, tears flying from the corners of his eyes.

Did Gohan just sacrifice himself to save him?!

"So weak…" No. 18 twirled a golden lock of hair around her finger as she watched the smoke clear. "If only they had resisted a little more…"

As the smoke dispersed, both Lin Qi and Gohan stood unharmed, with only the cratered earth around them attesting to the blast.

"Talk about lucky…" No. 18 blinked in surprise but quickly recovered, flashing her signature mocking grin.

"Another one with a death wish, huh?!"

"You're okay…" Trunks burst into tears again and threw himself into Gohan's arms.

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Gohan, who was gently patting Trunks' head in comfort. "Ah… this must be the moment, huh? No more one-armed Gohan!"

As Lin Qi sighed, he casually swatted away another incoming energy blast from No. 18.

Boom—

The blast exploded in the ruins of the nearby city, clearing out yet another section.

"You—" No. 18 was visibly rattled seeing Lin Qi deflect her attack so easily.

"Die!" she screamed, and with incredible speed, charged straight at him.

"So fast…" Trunks was overwhelmed—he couldn't even see her move.

And it wasn't just Trunks; even Gohan looked visibly shaken.

He stared blankly at Lin Qi and muttered, "A tail… a Saiyan…"

Lin Qi calmly blocked No. 18's punch with a wave of his hand, then grabbed her fist and flung her high into the sky.

The impact made it hard for No. 18 to regain control, and by the time she steadied herself, she was already high above.

"Hmph, you just wait…" Realizing she was outmatched, No. 18 vanished into the sky.

"She's gone! Thank you!" Trunks shouted in relief, overjoyed that the crisis was averted.

"You…" Gohan stared intently at the tail behind Lin Qi. "You're a Saiyan?!"

"Yep! Hello there, Gohan—and you too, Trunks!" Lin Qi waved casually in greeting.

Trunks was confused—he had no idea who this person was. "How do you… know us?"

Lin Qi smiled. How could he not? Just yesterday, he'd held Trunks in his arms when Bulma handed him over.

"I'm from a different timeline," Lin Qi explained simply.

"I'm friends with your dads—Goku and Vegeta. And with Bulma too."

"It's thanks to Bulma's time machine that I ended up in this timeline—I was curious to see what it was like," he added, ruffling Trunks' hair.

Nice hair—soft, too.

"Really?!" Trunks, still a kid, didn't even consider the possibility that Lin Qi might be lying.

"What does my dad look like? Do I look like him?"

"That's easy!" Lin Qi casually tossed a phone into Trunks' hands. "It's full of pictures and videos—including ones of Piccolo!"

It was a phone Lin Qi had bought using a diamond during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.

"You really know my dad…" Gohan was still in disbelief. He asked again, needing confirmation, "What's your world like?"

"Well, just normal, really. Thanks to a Trunks from some future timeline showing up, Goku didn't die!"

Lin Qi scratched his chin, thinking about how he'd likely jumbled up all the parallel timelines by now.

"When grown-up Trunks came to the past using Bulma's completed time machine, that timeline got saved. Everyone's still alive there!"

"Really?" Gohan broke into a smile at the thought. "If Dad were still around… this world wouldn't be like this."

"You're selling yourself short," Lin Qi replied. "With enough training, you could totally beat the androids—and save this timeline too!"

"There's no way I could beat those monsters…" Gohan's spirit wavered.

"Sure you can. Come on, I'll take you somewhere. I guarantee it'll help you rapidly improve your strength!"

The place Lin Qi had in mind? The Hyperbolic Time Chamber at Kami's Lookout!

Three beams of light streaked through the sky, landing on the still-pristine Kami's Lookout. It hadn't gathered dust—nor had it suffered a single attack.

"Lucky," Lin Qi said, glancing around. "Looks like the androids never visited this place."

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