Wow, what a response. I'd just like to thank everyone who gave such overwhelming feedback. To the haters, yes this IS blatant wish fullfillment. But some people want that every now and then, and I'm happy to give it to them. And as for all the cries about Goku's age, I'd just like to silently point to the Naruto fandom and it's overwhelming amount of lewd content for a bunch of child soldiers. Anyway, on with the fic.

I snuggled my head closer to the wonderful pillow it was on. I didn't want to wake up. I had the most amazing dream last night. Bulma came onto me and we had steaming interspecies sex all night long.

"Goku, you're poking me. Didn't you get enough last night?" came an exhausted whimper.

My eyes shot open. Not a dream. Definitely not a dream. Or else there was a pretty weird explanation for how I had ended up naked in Bulma's bed and spooning her.

"Sorry," I said absently, tilting my lower half away so my morning wood wouldn't disturb the bluenette in my arms.

"I get that you're, like, superhuman, or not even human at all, but I am. I need some rest after all that. It was my first time, you know."

"First seven times, actually," I corrected, my mouth splitting to reach my ears as my ego inflated at the memory.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a god in bed. I'm still sore like you wouldn't believe."

I frowned. I laid my hand over her, cupping her in my hands.

"What did I just say?" she asked pissily, turning to glare at me.

"Shh, shh. Relax. I'm fixing it," I said. I focused intently, reaching my ki through her skin to feel the damage. With some delicate, gentle coaxing, I got her body to heal itself, speeding up the natural process with my own energy.

"What… what did you just do?" she asked.

"Ki healing. I'm not very good at it, it's very light, sensitive work. I wouldn't be able to fix a broken bone or heart attack, but muscle soreness is easy enough. I did it for Grandpa when he got tired from all our spars."

She turned around, giving me a kiss. "You're amazing. You know that, right?"

"I try," I said, smiling. "Now, unless you're ready for round eight, we should probably get dressed."

"Yeah," Bulma said, stretching out in bed in a display I couldn't look away from. "We need to get the Archive safely to Capsule Corps."

"Not to mention the Dragon Balls. They're just stone right now, but they still need to be protected." I gulped. "Plus I have to meet your parents. That should be… fun."

"Relax. They don't need to know what we did. I'll just introduce you as my friend."

"Yeah, but how am I going to look your dad in the eye?"

Bulma blew an errant lock of hair out of her face. "How should I know? I've never had to meet a boyfriend's parents after having sex before."

"Your support is overwhelming, sweetheart," I said in a deadpan.

She blew me a kiss.

We got dressed, capsuled the house, and then flew to West City. The Archive and the duffel bag with the Dragon Balls were tucked safely in Bulma's arms as I carried her through the air. We touched down in a spacious estate in the heart of the City.

"Welcome to the Briefs Mansion," Bulma said, sweeping a hand at the huge building.

"Is this a house or a headquarters?" I asked, marveling at the sheer amount of room her family had carved out of the urban center.

"A bit of both. There's an office downtown, but Daddy tends to bring his work home with him."

In short order, I was introduced to Bulma's cartoon housewife of a mother, Panchy, and her absent-minded father, Briefs. We enjoyed an impromptu brunch where Bulma regaled her parents with tales of her adventure and I tried to keep my head down and focus on the food. Dr. Briefs was fascinated by the Archive, and I knew that he and Bulma were going to vanish into the lab afterwards to examine it.

"Goku, why don't you explore the city or the house? Daddy and I have work to do," my lover said once help appeared to take away the dishes.

"Sure. Just promise that you'll make a gravity chamber a priority."

Bulma grinned and kissed my cheek. My eyes darted to her parents, but they didn't blink. Must be my diminutive size working in my favor. "As fast as I can build one. I promise."

I spent a few days lounging on the couch, finding out what was on TV, before the promised gravity chamber was built. In that time, I got to develop a taste for professional catering as I was treated to the five-star meals made by the kitchen staff. If I wasn't careful, I'd get back all the baby fat I'd worked so hard to burn off. I tried talking to Panchy, but Bulma had clearly gotten her brains from her father, if you know what I mean. I had no money, and no desire to mooch off my girlfriend and her family any more than I already was by asking, so I didn't really explore the city. The evenings were the highlight of my days, because Bulma usually made it to dinner. We'd talk about what amazing find she and her father had teased out of the Archive that day and get to know each other better while her parents watched with smiling faces.

And every night, if I snuck out of my room after dark and back in before dawn, well, nobody called me out on it. Bulma sure wasn't complaining.

After a week in West City, Bulma came to find me and brought me to a dome-shaped building that hadn't been there when we arrived.

"Here you go, my little warrior. Best we could do on short notice. It goes up all the way to 100x Earth's natural gravity. That should keep you busy until we can take the time to upgrade it, shouldn't it?"

I looked up at her with pride. "Thanks, baby. This is just what I needed." I flew up a couple feet to give her a kiss before dropping back to waist height.

Bulma giggled. "Just make sure you aren't late for dinner. I didn't build this for you just to lose you to it. I know how much you love to train, but I still want to spend time with my boyfriend every day."

"I promise," I said solemnly. "In fact, if you aren't busy, I was wondering if I could take you out tonight."

"Really?" In an instant my genius turned into a blushing schoolgirl. She brought her hands to her cheeks and toyed with her hair and everything. "Well, this is all very sudden but… okay! When will you pick me up?"

"Let's say 8. That gives us an hour after dinner to get ready."

"What should I wear? Where are we going?"

"That's a surprise," I said, winking. "Just dress warm, we'll be outdoors."

"Got it!" Giggling up a storm, Bulma walked away, either to daydream about our date or get back to her father, I couldn't tell.

Smiling after her (and admiring the view from behind), I turned and entered the room. It was bare, about a hundred feet in diameter, just an empty half-sphere with recessed lighting and a reinforced tile floor. I found the control panel on the far wall and worked out how to use it simply enough. Taking a deep breath, I turned the dial to 10x Earth and hit the activation key.

For the first time in my life, I had to struggle just to stand up straight. It probably didn't help that I was still wearing weighted clothing, but I was never one to back down from a challenge. I took a minute to do some simple stretches, feeling the burn of exertion just from these simple movements. With a grin, my Saiyan blood pumping hot in my veins, I started to train.

I spent the next ten hours training, alternating between an hour of effort and an hour of meditation and cool down so I didn't collapse. I spent three of the working hours doing calisthenics as advanced as I could handle with the added gravity, and two sparring against a Multiform. I had managed to tune the technique so that we were a 40-60 split instead of dead even. I had hopes that fighting an opponent stronger than me, even if it was just a ki clone, would activate the Zenkai boost aspect of my DNA. The meditation was spent practicing my ki healing on myself and trying to expand my senses, so I could feel further and in more detail. I could already generally sense the planet at large, but I wanted to be able to follow the path of an ant on the opposite side of the world. I also guided an energy ball up, down, and around the room, keeping it slow and controlled rather than letting it fly fast as it could.

At 6, I came out of the gravity chamber, stinking to high heaven but with a smile on my face. I'd gotten a lot of good work done. I already felt lighter in normal Earth gravity. A few months of pushing myself, upping the gravity whenever things got too 'easy', and my Power Level would soar. I might just pull a Whis and win the World Martial Arts Tournament with one finger. I was already stronger than Radditz, just how far could I climb before my dear brother showed up? I had about 12 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z kicked off. That was a lot of time to train, especially armed as I was with the truth of just how high I could go.

I wasn't saying that I'd reach God of Destruction level before the alien invasions started. But there was no reason not to try, right?

Though I might need to use a wish to make ki from this planet undetectable, lest I attract unwanted attention should I climb too high. Speaking of wishes, would the Archive have information on how to upgrade the Dragon Statue in Kami's Lookout so we could get more wishes from Shenron? I still had still yet to spend much time with it, Bulma and Briefs hogging it for the most part. I also wanted to look up ki techniques. I was especially interested to see if there was some way to beat the 'bad' out of bad guys. Some technique that would banish the evil from a person's soul without splitting them like Kami had with Piccolo. That would definitely come in handy facing off against the villains of the universe. After all, the best way to defeat an enemy was to make them your friend.

Eh, I had plenty of time to worry about all that. What I should be focusing on now was my date with Bulma.

I showered and created clothes a bit fancier than my usual training uniform, a button-up and jeans. Panchy commented on how handsome I looked as the four of us sat down to dinner. I blushed and accepted the compliment, though the woman whose opinion I really wanted had to keep silent lest we give ourselves away. It kind of sucked, having to hide our relationship. But it also made it feel naughty and hot, so I was okay with it.

After dinner, I checked with the kitchen to see if they'd prepared the package I'd asked for that morning. They had, and so I waited until the appropriate time before flying up to Bulma's window and knocking on the glass.

"Goku?" she asked, opening the portal.

I grinned. "Would my lovely lady care to be swept away for a romantic picnic beneath the stars?"

Her face lit up. "I would love that."

The picnic basket held safely by my tail, I held out my arms and helped guide Bulma into the bridal carry we normally used when flying. Once she was secure, I turned us toward the mountains and sped off, Bulma shrieking as I accelerated faster than I ever had before. She nearly caused us to crash when she started to kiss my neck, but I swerved at the last minute and continued on. I don't know if she even noticed. She was a real firecracker, my Bulma. I still couldn't believe that I was lucky enough to be with her.

We landed on the summit of Mt. Paozu, a place I was intimately familiar with. It also had one of the best views in the world, as far as I was concerned.

"Wow! You can see for miles. And there's so many stars in the sky," Bulma gaped as I set up the picnic blanket.

"I thought you'd like it. Now, which would you like? Strawberries, chocolate, cheesecake?"

"How about a drink first?"

"Okay." I popped the cork on a bottle of sparkling cider, pouring some into a glass with barely any spillage.

We settled down on the blanket, eating the goodies and just talking, being together without any barriers or masks. The background of the star-filled sky and the moonlit valley around the mountain was nothing compared to Bulma's beauty. At least that was my opinion.

Bulma leaned back on her hands, looking up at the cosmos. "I look at them differently now."

"The stars?" I asked to clarify, wondering at the topic change.

"Yeah. Knowing there's life out there really makes it different." She looked over to me. "I wonder if we can see Vegeta's star from here?"

"I honestly have no idea," I said. "Not that I really care, anyway. My home is here."

Bulma grinned and looked back at the sky. She finally seemed to notice one crucial detail. "Wait a minute… it's a full moon!"

I grinned. "Don't worry. I've mastered Oozaru completely. I don't change unless I want to."

Bulma regarded me with the bright eyes of a scientist. "Can… can I see? Pretty please?"

I shrugged. "Sure." I unbuttoned my shirt and slid off my pants.

"Why are you getting naked? Not that I mind," she tacked on, looking me up and down while licking her lips.

I smirked as a slid out of my briefs, standing before her in all my glory. "I don't want to rip them when I grow, that's why."

"Oh, right, that makes sense," she said absently. "Wow, you're really a grower, not a shower, huh?"

I blushed but didn't cover myself. "Hey, give me a break. It's cold. And I'm only thirteen, I'll remind you."

"Please don't. I feel like a cradle-robbing perv when I think about it. Then I look at you and you're just so manly I forget."

I chuckled. Then I focused and looked up at the moon. I relaxed the steel control I'd kept on the slumbering giant inside me just a tad, letting him come to the surface and reform my body. But I maintained my will, my ability to reason, my suppression of my full power. I would not give those up to him.

In seconds, it was done, and I was large enough to fit Bulma in the palm of my hand.

"Ta-da!" I said, waving my hands and tail down at my girl.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Bulma gaped. "Makes no sense from my current understanding of biology, but it's cool."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But it's also dangerous. Most Saiyans, from what I can tell, never gain this level of control over it. They turn into mindless berserkers."

"Yeah, but you're special."

I rubbed the back of my head. "I'd say I'm just more stubborn than is good for me."

She shook her head. "Humble to a fault. You can't even take a compliment, can you?"

"I just don't want to let it go to my head. I'm not better than anyone else. Stronger, faster, nicer, maybe. But not better."

She smiled gently up at me. "Turn back now. You're too big to kiss."

I shrunk back down, rejecting the Blutz waves with an effort of focus, until I stood naked before her in my base form. While I'd been changing, she'd slipped out of her clothes. Her nipples were peaked from the cold, and she shivered as much from the air as my lusty gaze.

I tackled her, wrapping her in my arms and tangling the blanket around us, brushing the basket off into the distance to worry about later.

I never did end up returning that blanket. I kept it as a memento, of the night Bulma saw me as a monster and looked at me with love in her eyes still.

The months passed in a blur of training, stretching my limits to the breaking point and then doing the exact same thing the next day, only with the difficulty raised. I took one day off a week to give my weary body a chance to rest, which wound up becoming 'date night'. Bulma usually left them up to me, and I'd come up with simple gestures that took advantage of my powers to arrange. Every now and then, though, she took me out on the town and spent money like it came from a board game, and I enjoyed life as a trophy boyfriend to a billionaire's daughter. Movie premieres, fancy parties, concerts. And I only embarrassed her about one time out of three.

Every now and then, though, I took a break from training to go on 'field trips' as I liked to call them…

I wandered through the Diablo Desert, waiting for Yamcha to take the bait. I could sense that he was close by, hiding behind a sand dune behind me. I'd packed a backpack and filled it with rocks to give it a bulging appearance, to make me seem like a juicier target. Now I just had to wait for him to come at me.

Any minute now.

Just give it a second.

Right… about… now!

"Halt!" Yamcha shouted, riding in on a hoverbike, leaping from it to stand before me, Puar hovering behind his shoulder.

"Finally," I muttered to myself. Took him long enough.

"I am Yamcha, the Desert Bandit! Hand over your valuables and nobody needs to get hurt," the teenager demanded, getting into an aggressive stance.

I shrugged off the backpack. "Yeah, about that. I don't have anything on me. I do have an offer for you, though."

The thief's eyes narrowed. "Oh? What's that?"

"We fight, right here and now. You win, I'll give you a million Zeni. I win, you train with this guy I know and we have a rematch at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Oh, and you give up the whole bandit thing. And Puar teaches me how to do the Shapeshifting technique."

The anthropomorphic flying cat tilted his head. "How did he know?"

"Who cares? I'm going to take his money and then his life. You're on, kid!"

I nodded, and as my head was down he struck.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

I channeled ki throughout my body, and he went from speeding at me to moving in slow motion. I walked forward, tilting my head to avoid his fist, and gave a 'light' jab to his solar plexus.

His forward momentum met and overcome, Yamcha fell to the sand. He managed to puke up the contents of his stomach just before he passed out.

"Yamcha? Yamcha!" Puar shouted. The high-voiced feline shook his companion's shoulder.

"Don't worry, he's alive. Now about the Shapeshift…"

I spent an hour with Puar, working out the kinks and intricacies of a technique that let you physically change form. As I'd suspected, since even weaklings like Puar and Oolong could do it, it had more to do with finesse than power. You basically had to take control of the 'frame' of your ki and mold it into a different shape. The body would follow. After a few simple experiments, where I managed not to lose a toe or get permanently stuck as a watering can, I figured I had it down.

"Thanks, Puar. Now, you might want to hop on. We'll be flying a lot faster than you're used to."

I heaved Yamcha's limp form into a fireman's carry, made sure Puar had a good grip, and rocketed off. Within an hour, I was touching down by a beach before a pink shack with the words 'Kame House' written above the door.

"Master Roshi!" I shouted.

"Eh? Oh, it's you Goku. What in the world are you doing here?" the aged hermit asked as he came out the door.

I indicated Yamcha on the sand. "I want you to take this guy on as a student. I have a feeling he's got real potential."

Roshi stroked his beard and regarded the both of us from behind his sunglasses. "I'm sorry to say, Goku, but I've already taken on a student. A young monk named Krillin."

"You can handle two," I argued.

"Sorry, kid, it's against my policy."

I sighed. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, even though I'd mentally prepared myself for it. Using my newly learned Shapeshifting, I transformed into a buxom blonde bombshell lifted straight off a pin-up. Roshi's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Won't you please train my friend? Master Roshi?" I purred, fighting the urge to puke while I put on my performance.

"Of course I will!" he shouted to the heavens, blood spurting from his nose, as he charged at me to give me a hug… or maybe to grope me.

In a flash and a puff of smoke, I returned to base form and shot up into the sky. When I was halfway to the stratosphere, I turned direction and made for West City.

"I'm going to need a shower," I shuddered, utterly traumatized.

Still, I had accomplished something today. Yamcha would get some serious training and start the path to maybe being a useful ally one day. And I had gotten my hands on a nifty ability with applications limited only by my imagination. It might end up being little more than a party trick, but I wouldn't know until I got to experimenting. Could I shapeshift into a healthy body while injured? Did becoming a muscle-bound giant give me comparable gains in strength? And let's not discount turning limbs into weapons. I was eager to find out all that and more.

Bulma, when she learned of my new trick, had a quite a different take on it. Let's just say I did a lot of my Shapeshifting practice in the bedroom and leave it at that.

I stood at the base of Korin Tower. The column extended up into the sky, the top so far away it was beyond my sight. I had already met Bora and Upa, and the two guardians had deemed me worthy of attempting the climb. I felt the two of them watching me, waiting for me to embark on one of the toughest physical challenges in the world.

Well, time to see if all that gravity training was doing anything.

I clicked a stopwatch, and then I powered up to my max and took off. I started off by jumping up, making it a good hundred feet before I got close to the tower. Then it was climbing, foot then hand, foot then hand. I moved as fast as I could, fighting against the resistance of the wind and the pull of my weighted clothing. My blood roared in my ears as I energized every cell of my body with ki. I kept at it, never relenting, until I finally reached the top of the tower and climbed onto the entrance platform.

I powered down and checked the stopwatch. "4 minutes 50 seconds," I read. "Hmm. I'll have to do this again when Bulma makes those gravity belts. It's a great workout," I mused, catching my breath after the intense exertion. I was already up to 30x Earth's gravity in the chamber, so the day-long climb for most was just a quick sprint for me.

I climbed higher into the guts of the tower until I reached the main floor, where I was met by a white cat with a walking stick. He was sweating buckets and seemed to be cowering before me.

"Um, are you okay?"

The cat paused, seeming to stare at me through his closed eyes. "Oh, wow. Psychic AND pure of heart, if not necessarily in body. So you aren't here to challenge me for the title of 'God of Martial Arts?'"

I shook my head. "No. I'm here for three things. A few Senzu beans, the Ultra Divine Water, and a lesson on mind reading."

Korin frowned. "I'll give you the beans. I have dozens of them saved up, no harm in giving you some. But the Ultra Divine Water is far too dangerous. I won't allow you to throw your life away drinking it. And it takes years and years of meditation to even begin to peer into the minds of others."

I shrugged. "I'm not asking for you to let me stay until I get the hang of it, just point me in the right direction. And as for the Water… if I promise not to drink it, could I at least get a sample of it?"

Korin rubbed a paw along his nose. "Oh, that's clever. You're going to have your lady friend use that gift from Shenron and the dose I give you to recreate it or even improve on it. Well, best of luck, but not everything can be broken down by mere science. With your vow not to drink the actual Ultra Divine Water, I'll agree to give you a drop. As for the knock-offs, that'll be at your own risk."

"That sounds reasonable," I agreed.

"As for telepathy… I suppose there's no harm in covering the basics."

I got a very confusing lecture on retreating inwards while also looking outwards, how the mind was the most complex thing in the universe, and many other platitudes and bits of wisdom, but I managed to get the gist. It required a truly daunting amount of focus and willpower combined with delicate spiritual awareness, but mind reading was the art of sensing the structure and make-up of a person's ki and the millions of tiny fluctuations in it to make out or 'hear' their stream of consciousness. Korin was right, it could take years to develop a knack for doing it, let alone mid-combat. But I was determined to know what my opponent was doing almost before they did. You couldn't put a price on the advantage that would bring to a fight.

With a bow of thanks, and with a bag containing a handful of beans as well as a corked vial, I jumped off the edge of the Tower, switching to flight before I reached the ground and returning to my home at the Briefs Mansion.

Hopefully Bulma would find a way to mass-produce Senzu beans and work out the precise function of the Ultra Divine Water. A way to instantly heal from damage would speed up my training exponentially, and I was curious about the Water and its power to 'unlock potential'.

Every little bit helped in my quest to become the strongest being alive, after all.

"Bulma, you're being a little overprotective. I'll be fine!"

"No!" she shouted, standing between me and the Archive. "I won't let you run off and get yourself killed."

"Darling, baby, light of my life, I'm both bulletproof and faster than a speeding bullet. I won't be in any danger. This is just an afternoon errand."

She grit her teeth. "Taking on the Red Ribbon Army is not an errand, it's suicide!"

We'd been arguing for almost an hour now, going in circles. I'd try to convince her I'd be alright, she'd deny me vehemently. She had grown up hearing horror stories of the Red Ribbon Army, she wasn't able to get past that ingrained fear to realize that with my power, I could take them all on blindfolded and win.

"Bulma, listen to me. I'm not doing this to be a hero or to test my strength or anything like that. I'm doing this to protect you," I tried, going with a different tack.

"What reason would the RRA possibly have for coming after me?"

"I don't know, maybe those," I said, pointing at the safe in the wall where the Dragon Balls were stored.

She grit her teeth. "No one knows they're here."

"But someone could build their own Dragon Radar. The energy they give off is distinct, you know that. Once they wake up after the year-long break, any mid-range spectrometer will be able to pick them up. The Red Ribbon Army is all about power, getting it and abusing it. The odds of at least one of the higher-ups knowing the legend and coming after them at some point are really high." I frowned. "Besides, I'm not okay with waiting another day and letting who knows how many people suffer when I could do something about it."

"Goku…" Bulma said, looking torn.

"Please, Bulma." I looked her dead in the eye, hoping she'd see that there was no talking me out of this. I could have just taken the Archive and run, but I wouldn't betray her trust like that.

"... If you get so much as a scratch, you will be in so much trouble," she finally relented, standing aside.

"Thank you. I promise to come back in the same 'physically flawless' condition as when I left," I said, trying to make a joke out of it.

She blushed. "Knew I shouldn't have let you read my diary."

I took out a map and a pen and typed a simple question into the Archive: "Where are the Red Ribbon Army's forces?" I was shown a map of a world, with a little red 'dot' for each soldier. I worked out all the major bases from the heaviest concentrations. A dozen clusters wiped out should be enough for the whole organization to crumble.

"I'll be back in time for dinner," I promised. And then I went through the eight different doors locking the Inner Sanctum of Capsule Corps from the rest of the world. How Dr. Briefs had gotten permission from the city to construct a bunker that could survive a nuclear warhead under his house was beyond me. I suspected either he hadn't told anyone or there had been a lot of bribery involved. Either way, the most bleeding-edge inventions and research, as well as valuables like the Archive and the Dragon Balls, were stored there.

Sure, I could break in if I really wanted to. But that would just be rude. Plus, going through all the different layers of security was kind of fun, like being in a spy movie.

I spent the rest of the day exercising my right as a walking weapon of mass destruction to wipe out a paramilitary operation. I'd fly to a base, knock out all the men and blow up all the weapons, then tie them all up with rope conjured with the Matter Creation technique and fire a ki blast into the air to draw the attention of local authorities. I went all over the globe, from snowy tundra to blistering desert, and even to a base hidden inside a mountain. I'm pretty sure that was Dr. Gero's lab, given all the robotics equipment and the bald guy with a bushy mustache who raved about the importance of his 'work' once he woke up and found himself tied up. In the end, I found and immobilized every major officer and about 80% of the cannon fodder, as well as blowing up every piece of hardware I could find.

The next day, King Furry made a global announcement. He disclosed that in a major sting operation, the world military had made a major assault on the Red Ribbon Army and detained the majority of their people. Bulma and I watched with amused grins as the animal-type Earthline waxed on about the courage and bravery of the men and women who had engaged in the operation, when we both know they'd just been the clean-up crew. Still, I wasn't surprised that someone else took credit for my work. I didn't really care. Like I'd told Bulma, it wasn't about grandstanding or making a name for myself. I just wanted the RRA gone. That should nip a few potential disasters in the bud.

The day wound up being declared a holiday, 'Scissors Day', in memory of when the Red Ribbon had been cut.

My life wasn't entirely consumed by training and Bulma. I kept faithful correspondence with Grandpa Gohan, the Ox-King and Chi-Chi, and the Turtle Hermit School. I was sure to only be platonic and proper when I wrote to the princess of the Ox Kingdom. I was with Bulma, after all. That path was, as far as I could tell, blocked off. Even if Bulma and I seperated for some reason, I'm not sure if I could just fall in love and marry Chi-Chi just because an alternate version of me had. I wanted her in my life, but just as a friend, maybe even just a penpal for a little while.

Still, the primary focus of my time was on building myself stronger, faster, better. As I expected, Bulma's natural genius and the power of the Archive had led to her cracking the Senzu bean genome. She isolated the enzyme that had such miraculous healing properties and found a way to synthesize it. Capsule Corps revolutionized the medical industry when it started to make Sage Pills, virtual panaceas that healed every trauma and a great many diseases. Bulma was heralded as a genius, getting a number of accolades and awards. I was every bit the congratulating boyfriend afterwards, getting her gifts and satisfying her every whim. And then I cranked my training up to '11', popping Sage Pills like candy as I set the gravity as high as I could stand it and had my Multiforms stop holding back. Didn't matter if I broke bones or even got blasted through the abdomen, so long as I could pop a little green pill before I passed out.

I may have pushed the boundaries of reasonable safety a lot further than I should have. I was just thankful there weren't any cameras in the gravity chamber, or else Bulma would have my head. You couldn't deny that it was effective though. By the evening of April 15, 750, between natural gains and Zenkai boosts, my power level cracked into 60,000. I was now half the strength of Captain Ginyu, the strongest underling in Frieza's army. Not bad for a kid about to turn 14.

I showered and went down to dinner with the family. I'd really bonded with Panchy and Dr. Briefs in the seven months I'd been here, to say nothing of the bond between Bulma and me. I almost felt like part of the family.

We were eating, Bulma and I playing footsie under the table, when Panchy spoke up. "Oh, Goku dear, I almost forgot to ask you. When is your birthday? I was planning one for my kitten and it occured to me that we didn't know yours."

I stopped what I was doing, my fork held halfway to my mouth. I hesitantly set it down, anticipating an explosion. "Um, well… do you really need to know? Grandpa and I never really celebrated it. It's just another day to me."

Bulma frowned, leaning forward. "Goku, come on, when is it? We just want to know the day."

"Yeah, but then you'll want to throw a big party and invite lots of people, and I'm not really interested in that."

Dr. Briefs chuckled. "Please, Goku. Of course we'll respect your wishes if you don't want a big celebration. But please tell us so we can do something. It's not everyday our daughter's boyfriend turns 14."

Bulma and I both turned the shade of ripe tomatoes. "You know?!" she screeched as only a teenage girl could.

"Bulma, honey, your mother and I aren't blind. We see the way you two look at each other. The love is like a neon sign." He frowned behind his mustache. "And the fact that you sneak into each other's rooms every night. Can't say I'm too happy about that, but you're both responsible kids and I'm sure you're being safe and careful even when you're doing the things teenagers in relationships do."

"Oh, they are, dear. I refill Bulma's prescription myself. She's been right on top of it!" Panchy chimed in.

Please, kill me now. My potential in-laws were talking about my sex life. "It's tomorrow! Okay? My birthday is tomorrow!" I blurted out.

"TOMORROW?!" they exclaimed. All three of them.

I looked from the shocked eyes of Panchy and Briefs to the accusing look coming from Bulma. "Like I said, I don't really celebrate it. I was hoping it could just pass by unnoticed."

Without a word, Bulma got up and left. The door slammed behind her when she got up the stairs.

I winced. "Damn. That didn't go well."

"Well, you know what to do about it, don't you?" Briefs asked leadingly.

"Yes, you have to…" Panchy said, "Go to her," she finished just as Dr. Briefs said "Give her space."

I left the two of them to their bickering in the wake of that. I went to my room, and took a peek with my ki sense into Bulma's. She was sad but not crying, laid out on her bed. I sighed, and set about making my apology gift.

A half-hour later, I flew to her window and knocked. It took a couple minutes, but she got up and came over open the window.

"What?" she asked in a dull, 'I-do-not-care-at-all' tone.

I winced. It was worse than I thought. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think about how you would feel about me hiding it, I was just selfish and wanted to avoid a big fuss."

"Apology accepted. Anything else?" she asked, clearly still fuming.

I brought my hand from behind my back to offer my present. "Yes. Will you accept this, as a token of my love?"

She blinked and focused on what I was holding. "Is that what I think it is?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, people say you should get a girl roses or diamonds. I decided to do both."

She took the crystal bloom from me, regarding it. A stem, two leaves, and a blossom with full petals, all clear as glass and sparkling in the light. "Where did you even get this? A stone big enough to cut this from would go for billions."

I shrugged. "I can make cloth out of ki, why not rocks? Very pretty rocks, but it's still just a rock. I only took so long because I had to practice getting the cut just right. There's a few dozen carats of diamonds just laying on the floor of my room right now."

She broke out into giggles. "Goku, you are too much."

"Too much like 'I forgive you for being stupid' too much?" I asked pleadingly.

She sighed. "I don't like it when you keep secrets from me."

I winced, but she didn't notice as she continued. "I already feel unbalanced in this relationship. You're just so powerful. I can't fight, I can't fly, I can't do ki magic. If you wanted to leave, there's nothing I could do to stop you. So when I find out you're hiding things from me, it makes me worried you don't trust me, that I'm not really important to you, that I can't hold you to me."

I sighed and floated into her room. She stepped aside to let me. "Bulma… I could never leave you. You think I have all the power here, but you have a hold on me like you wouldn't believe."

"Really? How?" she asked.

"Your smile. Your laugh. Your brilliant mind. The way you play with your hair when you're thinking. The way you say my name when we're alone together." I smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She allowed it, and that right there was all I needed to know the worst was behind us. "Neither of us are perfect, Bulma. But we're perfect for each other. I'm the brawn and you're the brains. I'm the yang and you're the yin. I love you, and I'll never stop loving you." I'd said it before, and meant it, but this was the first time I really put myself out there, got really vulnerable, and let her see all the emotion behind those three little words.

She smiled, even with tears in her eyes. "I love you too, Goku. Even when you're a real idiot."

"Huge idiot," I agreed. "I promise not to keep something like this from you again." I took a deep breath and sighed. "And that's why I need to tell you something."

We sat down on her bed, and I explained the truth. How I'd died, and then been selected for something called Replacement Reincarnation. How I'd seen the life of the original Goku in my mind like a year-long movie, and then woken up at the start with those memories intact. How I'd slipped into the shoes of Goku, taking over his life, even though I wasn't really him. I talked and talked, until there was nothing left to say.

Bulma sat there, processing everything. Then she nodded. "Okay."

I blinked. "Okay? That's all you're going to say?"

"I asked the Archive who my perfect match was. The answer wasn't 'Son Goku' right away, it was Soul 4829A1826M0683Q0175G. You. Whoever you were, whoever originally inhabited the body I'm talking to, the answer was you. So yeah, I'm saying 'Okay'. Because it doesn't matter how you got here, just that you're here now, with me."

"Bulma… you're amazing."

She smirked wryly. "Well, I've been diving into the collective knowledge of the cosmos every day for months. I was bound to mature at least a little, get some perspective. I actually tried to look up 'Love' in the Archive once. There was a lot of philosophy and a bunch of data on oxytocin and hormone balance, but no real answer. So if even a magical computer from a dragon can't define it, maybe I should just trust these feelings I have for you even if I can't explain them."

I hugged and kissed her, because what else could I do? "Bulma, can we just… hold each other tonight? I'm exhausted."

"That sounds real nice," she said.

And so we cuddled, our nightly sex spree given a break, as we focused on and savored the connection behind it.

Other than a cupcake and one hell of a wake-up blowjob (Bulma hummed 'Happy Birthday' the whole time), my birthday passed without incident. My new family accepted and respected my wishes, once they got over the shock of me hiding it from them. I got some training in, and when the lights went off I made up for the night we lost by giving Bulma all I could without breaking her.

A month went by in a flash, with me training my ass off day in and day out, with the breaks of time with Bulma and my letter writing to stop me from killing myself or going insane. I managed to reach all the way to 100x Earth's gravity in the chamber, maxing out the machine. I could barely walk at that level, but I could still move so I considered it training. Before I knew it, it was May 6 and Bulma was flying us flying us in a private jet to Papaya Island. She didn't want me wasting any energy before my 'big day'. We both knew that was crazy, that the contest was all but won, but I allowed the luxury. It was nice to be able to lay back and eat while being ferried from place to place.

We went from the airfield to the arena where the World Martial Arts Tournament took place. I immediately noticed a key difference from my memories of the future past.

"Bulma… why did you buy the arena?"

The Capsule Corps logo was everywhere.

"Goku. Goku, my love. I didn't buy the arena." She grinned like a sated shark. "I bought the organization."

"Okay. Why did you buy the whole tournament, then?"

"Because I want to write a book."

I blinked and scratched my head, trying to reason that out. "Walk me through it, baby, walk me through it."

"Look, ki is amazing. It can turn an ordinary human into a comic book hero, and I've looked into the Archive at just how many miraculous things can be done when it's properly used. I want to write a book about it, to get the secrets of unlocking it out in the open where anyone can find them. But to do that, I'll need data to back me up so it's not just crazy rambling pseudo-science. And I can't use the information from the Archive, because it's not peer-reviewed and it's top-secret anyway. So, I need empirical data on ki usage to substantiate my claims. Ergo, I need to record it being used. Thus, I bought the WMAT. That arena is going to have every instrument in the book and a few I invented just for the occasion aimed at it. Combined with film footage, I'll be able to prove that ki exists and can be used to do extraordinary things."

I connected the dots while she was talking. "And by putting the Capsule Corps logo on the event, you vastly increased the scope of advertising, increasing the odds that martial artists and other ki-sensitive people would show up. And you'll be able to do the same thing with every Tournament going forward, guaranteeing a steady stream of data. I won't even mention all the profits to be made from tickets and broadcasting."

"You know me so well," she purred. "Make sure you put on a show for the cameras. For all we know, you'll be the only one here that can use it."

"Trust me, I won't be," I said. "The Turtle Hermit School are here. Roshi must at least have taught them the Kamehameha Wave like Grandpa taught me." I blinked and turned. "Speak of the devil…"

"Goku!" Grandpa Gohan called, walking over to me through the crowd. Behind him lumbered the Ox-King with Chi-Chi perched on his broad shoulder. "It's so good to see you!"

I embraced the man who'd raised me, taking comfort in his familiar scent. "It's great to see you to! I didn't know you were coming."

"Well, I figured I could take a break from my hermitage to cheer you on. And wouldn't you know it, I ran into an old friend. I believe you've met the Ox-King," Gohan said, waving at the giant of a man behind him.

"Yep. The castle doing okay, I didn't miss any fires did it?"

"Not at all, young hero! We're still cleaning out all the soot, but the castle is as grand as when we left it! We still cannot thank you enough for what you did!" The Ox-King only had two volumes: loud and louder.

"Hi, Goku!" chirped Chi-Chi, blushing and hiding a bit behind her father's head.

I smiled up at her, unaware of Bulma looking between us. "Hi Chi-Chi. You going to compete?"

"No, just going to watch with Daddy and Uncle Gohan," she said, almost stuttering in her nervousness. I tried not to wince. Guess I hadn't managed to avoid her crushing on me. Then again, I had given her back her childhood home by making a tornado out of thin air. That was a pretty heroic thing for a 12-year-old to witness and be impressed by.

"Well, see you tomorrow. We'll just pop off to the hotel. We'll be cheering you on!" Grandpa said.

"Bye, you guys! Thanks for coming!" I said as the three walked off.

"So… in another life, that little girl would have been the mother of your children," Bulma stated neutrally.

I winced. "Yeah. The real Goku promised to marry her, having no idea what marriage was. When she confronted him on it years later, he caved and agreed. He wasn't a good husband or father, truth be told. He was pretty much an absentee bum, just another kid for her to look after."

"Well, that won't be happening this time around," Bulma stated decisively. "Far, far down the line when we start having kids, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful father."

I blushed so red my cheeks burned. "B-bulma!"

"What? It's true."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be an amazing mother!"

"Naturally."

There was no winning with her… and I kinda liked that. Guess we were perfect for each other.

I walked up to the registration table. The staff gave me a little trouble because of my age, but then Bulma stepped forward with her 'I sign your paycheck' face and got things sorted out. I was put down on the rolls and ready to fight tomorrow.

"Ah, Goku! There you are. I thought we'd be seeing you here," said Roshi, coming up behind me. Both he and his two students were dressed in snazzy suits, while I was in my usual training uniform of a gi, weighted undershirt, pants, armbands, and boots. Per Bulma's advice, I'd gone with shades more complimenting to my skin tone, so my top was blue and my bottoms were cream.

"Nice to see you, Master Roshi. Grandpa Gohan and the Ox-King are here too, if you want to go meet them."

"Oh, really? I just might do that, have a little reunion with the old pupils. But right now, I got to get my current two into this here tournament."

Yamcha struck a most muscular pose. "I've gotten way stronger since the last time, kid. You won't be one-shotting me this time."

"Well, you do seem confident, and confidence is key," I said, trying not to tease but unable to help myself. I was close to cracking 100k in Power Level and he was barely over 100, from what I could sense. He couldn't hurt me if he tried. Sure, he was strong as ten men, and would probably get to the quarterfinals, but against me he had no hope.

A kid just as short as me looked me up and down. He was bald beneath his fedora, and had six incense burns on his forehead. "So, you're the Goku I've heard so much about."

"And you must be Krillin." We shook hands, he trying to squeeze my grip. I didn't even tense, and he's the one who came away wincing. My muscles and tendons were like steel cables. "Good luck tomorrow. I hope to see you in the top 8."

"Yeah, I'll definitely be there," he said, though he lacked confidence. He hadn't seen the effects of Roshi's training yet.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. Go register." I grabbed Bulma's hand and walked away.

"Wait a minute, that pretty girl is with him?" I heard Krillin gape behind us.

Roshi wasn't able to answer, preoccupied as he was with a nosebleed. I didn't even want to know what filth was going through his head.

The next day, I reported bright and early to the arena. As expected, we went through preliminaries to narrow us down to the top two of four brackets. The scientific equipment was hidden subtly around the room where it wouldn't get in the way, but it was there. As promised, I used mostly ki techniques to deal with my opponents. I used very low-powered rays and balls to knock people out of the ring, when I didn't just use a kiai to blow them away. I drew a lot of attention from the other contestants and staff, but I wasn't breaking any rules so no one said anything.

When I finished off the last guy in my half of the bracket, I surveyed the room. My focus was drawn to one person in particular, the highest Power Level there after me and Roshi (who looked ridiculous in his Jackie Chun get-up, but that was neither here nor there). I'd expected a bit of a butterfly effect from taking out the Red Ribbon Army, and been willing to accept the risks. Still, I hadn't anticipated the presence of Mercenary Tao at the Tournament.

In the end, the quarter-finalists were decided and we drew lots to decide the opening line-up. It was Krillin vs Nam, 'Jackie Chun' versus Yamcha, Ranfan vs Tao, and me vs Giran. We all stepped out into the main arena outside, where the Announcer was waiting for us to sell us to the crowd.

"Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages! Welcome to the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament! Brought to you by Capsule Corps. Today, the strongest warriors and fighters from around the world will clash to decide who will be number 1! The winner will go down in our hall of fame as champion and receive 500,000 Zeni in prize money. Let's take a look at our combatants this year. Formerly of the Orin Temple, don't let his size fool you, give it up for Krillin!" His bald head looked sunburned, his blush was so broad. "From a far off desert village, our dark horse of the day, Nam!" The turbaned teen nodded politely but retained his deathly serious expression. "A surprise entrant who proves that age is just a number, the amazing Jackie Chun!" Roshi's eyes were locked on the professional cheerleaders Bulma had for some reason hired. "The bandit of Diablo, a fighter more wolf than man, here's Yamcha!" Puar shapeshifted into a banner in the crowd and waved to his long-haired friend. "As beautiful as she is deadly, this rose has thorns, it's Ranfan!" The seductress blew a kiss to the crowd. "The most notorious assassin in the world, if you don't pay the price then prepare to get iced, Mercenary Tao!" Awkward applause, which the man paid no attention to. "Raised in the shadow of Mt. Paozu, master of mysterious and unusual tricks of combat, make some noise for Son Goku!" I waved to the crowd, blowing a kiss in Bulma's direction, which she mimed catching. We really were a sappy couple. "And finally, the giras here to cheer us, it's Giran!" The dragon-like fighter flexed his biceps and breathed fire, which I'm sure would be intimidating if I didn't know for a fact he was a two-digit Power Level. "Which one will be our champion? Let's find out, folks! Would Krillin and Nam please take positions while the other fighters go backstage?"

The six of us left, waiting for our turns to fight.

"So, which one do you think will win?" 'Jackie' asked me.

I shrugged. "Krillin is stronger, but lacks confidence. And Nam has a strong resolve. It's a coin toss depending on if Krillin goes all out before Nam strikes a decisive blow." I eyed him out of the corner of my eye. "Isn't that wig itchy?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. I almost decided to pull out when I saw you were entering. No need for me to humble my students by showing there's always a stronger fighter out there if you were here. But now I'm glad I did. If the drawing went differently, it might be Tao going up against them, and that man would break them even with the ban on killing."

"The medics on standby have Sage Pills. No permanent injury here today… unless, for some reason, they decide not to administer them."

Roshi frowned. "What are you planning?"

"I'm not planning anything, except to give my opponents the match they deserve."

Roshi eyed Tao and sighed. "I see. Well, you reap what you sow."

We stopped talking as the fight started. Krillin pulled off a few sloppy dodges and attacks, but Nam came at him with relentless force. Before a minute had passed by, the monk tripped and fell out of the arena; he hadn't been keeping track of his surroundings, a rookie mistake. Nam was declared the winner, and then 'Jackie Chun' and Yamcha took their places. Yamcha put up a decent fight, even landing a few good hits with his improved Wolf Fang Fist, but his master in disguise had him rush off the edge of the stage with a well-timed Afterimage technique. Ranfan and Tao's match was… messy. Turns out her tactics didn't work on a sociopath. He ended the match by giving a brutal kick to her hip which I'm pretty sure shattered her pelvis. He won by knockout, and Ranfan was carried away on a stretcher. My and Giran's match went as expected. I opened the match with a baby Kamehameha and blew him into the wall separating the arena from the crowd.

"Well, there go the quarter-finals, everyone! Time for the semi-finals, where we separate the men from the boys. First match, Nam vs Jackie Chun!"

Roshi and Nam gave a very good showing, but the centuries of experience paid through. Nam was beaten after his Cross Arm Dive failed to connect. Roshi caught up with Nam after the fight, revealing that water in the city was free and offering a large storage capsule. I grinned at the nice gesture, wishing the young man well in life, before focusing on my own opponent, the infamous Mercenary Tao.

"I'll offer you this one chance to surrender. Nothing will stand between me and that prize money." The brother of Shen had a nasty little grin on his face.

I sighed and got into position, my index and middle finger held against my forehead. "I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine."

"Begin!"

With a pop of displaced air, I appeared behind Mercenary Tao. Moving surely and without hesitation, I gave him a chop to his neck around the height of his shoulder.

SNAP!

Tao collapsed to the ground. "I… I can't feel anything! I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING!" he shouted.

I looked away from the man I'd rendered a quadriplegic. "You deserve death, but this should be even worse for you. You'll be totally helpless from now on, just like you made so many of your victims feel. Enjoy life in prison."

The countdown finished, and I was declared the victor. The medics came to wheel Mercenary Tao off, conspicuously not using their provided Sage Pill or any other treatment other than careful handling.

"He's going to the prison ward, just so you know. Now that he can't walk, the courts are suddenly all ready to persecute," Bulma told me. As the owner, she of course had backstage access.

"Glad to hear it." And I was. One less villain in the world.

Jackie Chun and I met on the arena floor, the sun setting in the distance.

"Should I even try?" he asked me beneath his breath.

I grinned and flared my aura to around 9,000 PL, or roughly 30x the Demon King Piccolo.

"I forfeit!" he called out, raising both hands like he was under arrest.

I was declared the winner, and spent all my winnings on a feast for me, Bulma, and the Turtle Hermit School and guests.

With the Red Ribbon Army out of the way, I had three years of training and three wishes to look forward to. The world wouldn't know what hit it.

That should do for now. I'll work on chapter 3 over the weekend.