Chapter 14 – "A portent of things to come? An unwelcome discovery in Universe 1."
A great power…
When Goku and Kelerot powered up for their fight, many people scattered across the multiverse felt Kelerot's power when he channeled his energy.
Piccolo was shocked out of his meditative state that he froze in fear, shaking a bit. Gohan had joined him in his free time and he too was startled out of his state. They both stood up and stared out in the direction they felt the power from.
"What is this pressure I'm feeling?!" Gohan cried. Piccolo was still trying to gather his thoughts to think straight and he stared ahead, growling under his breath.
"Your father's fighting that Saiyan from the 11th universe. To think he was actually this strong."
"I haven't felt pressure like this since the Pride Troopers," Gohan said and Piccolo clenched hands into fists.
"Universe 11 surely has its share of monsters that rival the gods," he said. "We should meet up with the kids and make sure they don't make any reckless decision."
Gohan nodded again and the two took off to the hotel where the combatants were resting.
Uub, Pan, and Bulla stopped for a moment as they were making their way back to their respective rooms and Uub was the first to look apprehensive. Pan's eyes lit up while Bulla looked uncomfortable.
"Grandpa's fighting that guy. But why?" Pan asked.
"I don't know," Uub said and he clenched his fists. Master, please be okay.
"What the heck is going on? I'm kinda freaking out at the amount of power I'm sensing here," Bulla stated and Pan saw how pale her face started to look.
"I'm kinda feeling scared myself, to be honest," Pan said and instinctively went to grab Uub's hand without realizing it. Uub noticed it for a moment but chose to ignore it since he was still focused heavily on Goku and Kelerot's energy.
"This guy's energy is crazy! I'm feeling a great deal of pressure like the air got thicker all of a sudden," Bulla said and Pan let go of Uub's hand to comfort Bulla.
"It's going to be okay. Grandpa's way tougher than you think and he won't let energy like that intimidate him."
Pan took Bulla's hands, which were actually shaking a bit and gave them a squeeze. Bulla looked at Pan for a moment, then took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out," she said.
Now it was Pan's turn to start freaking out when she stopped sensing Goku's energy. She felt her heart beat faster and she stared at the direction where she lost track of Goku's power.
"Something happened to Grandpa, I can't feel his energy anymore!" Pan cried out and started to run off.
"Wait! Something feels different!" Uub called out to Pan and he closed his eyes. He furrowed his brow and focused on the area where he sensed Goku and Kelerot's energies collide and could feel Goku's power, yet this one was a great deal higher than before.
"I can sense Master Goku's power, but it's way different than anything I've felt before," Uub said and Pan looked back at him, confused. Even Bulla stared at him warily.
"Are you sure? You're not hallucinating on us or anything?" Bulla said and Uub shook his head.
"No, I'm certain I can still sense Goku but he's channeling an energy that's entirely different than what I'm used to. It feels calm somehow. But the more I look into it, the more it feels like I'm in the middle of the ocean and there are storms all around me yet where I'm standing is still very peaceful. I can't explain it very well but is this what it feels like to be one of the gods?"
Pan's eyes widened a bit.
"Gods? What are you talking about?"
"Wait, by gods, do you mean like Uncle Beerus?" Bulla asked.
Then it clicked.
"That's it!" Uub cried out. "Master Goku's energy right now is exactly like Lord Beerus's."
Pan closed her eyes and started to focus as well. She began to feel something stir in the air, and an image of a small flame flickering on a candle's wick formed in her head. The image embedded itself into a red flaming aura that was shaped like Goku but it still looked distorted and unnatural. The head looked familiar due to Goku's hair but she opened her eyes out of frustration as the image faded. Bulla kept staring at the two and wondered if Pan had been able to sense it as well.
"Anything?" Bulla asked.
"I don't know," Pan said. "I don't know what Grandpa's energy's supposed to feel like. I'm trying to picture it in my head but I get lost in all of it. I'm surprised you can sense it though, Uub."
"I'm actually surprised you're able to distinguish Goku's energy from that other guy's," Bulla said, shuddering a bit. "His power is so overwhelming that I have a hard time sensing Goku in the first place," Bulla said and Pan nodded. She felt worry creep up again within her and smiled when she saw Piccolo and Gohan step into view down the hall.
"Papa! Uncle Piccolo!" Pan cried out and Uub opened his eyes, grinning as he saw the two come into view.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" Pan said and Gohan nodded.
"We've come to warn you against going there," Piccolo said and Uub shook his head.
"You don't have to worry about us, we weren't going to. Master Goku's fighting this guy with a lot more power that I didn't know he had," Uub said and Piccolo stared at him for a moment.
Can he actually sense divine energy? He thought.
"I wonder if Broly and his kids can feel this power as well?" Gohan asked.
"Hmph, it might scare that brat straight for once," Pan said with a smirk and started walking down the hall. The others joined her and Uub couldn't help but continue glancing over in the direction he sensed the fighting take place. Piccolo stole a few glances behind him and stared ahead.
"For now we should rest for the night and prepare for tomorrow. You've got important matches to fight in the semi-finals," Piccolo said and Uub was still fixated to have paid attention. Pan nodded and noticed Uub wasn't listening. She walked beside him and elbowed him in the side, snapping him out of it.
"Did you not hear what Piccolo said?" she asked.
"Huh?" Uub replied.
"Let's stop worrying about Grandpa and instead focus on our matches tomorrow. You should get plenty of sleep for your fight against Buu."
Uub had a grim look on his face. "Yeah, I should sleep, shouldn't I?"
Pan still had a concerned look on her face whenever she saw Uub stare off like that. She slowed down her walking pace to make sure he wasn't lagging behind and nodded at Bulla.
"Hey Bulla, go on ahead to our room, I'll join up with you shortly," Pan said and Bulla nodded. "Good night Uncle Piccolo. Good night papa!" Pan said, and the two grown-ups nodded with a smile on their face. When Pan and Uub were alone in the hall, they walked casually until they reached Uub's hotel room. They hadn't said anything for the brief moment they were alone and Pan wanted to break the silence.
"So…" Pan said.
"So…" Uub replied.
They both looked away and then back at each other.
"Good luck in your mat-" they said in unison and they both blushed in response.
"Hey, um, Pan? Be careful against Choi, he's not someone you should take lightly," Uub said, staring down at her. He couldn't conceal his flushed face when she saw how pretty her eyes looked to him and she gave him a confident smile.
"Don't worry about me, Uub. I know he's a very strong fighter and if I learned anything from papa and grandpa, fighting strong opponents is a challenge but also a great experience. You should heed this advice as well against Buu tomorrow."
She tapped him lightly in the chest and Uub chuckled nervously.
"Ha ha, yeah," he said and rubbed the back of his head, looking away.
"Anyway, I'll see you first thing in the morning, okay?" Pan said.
"Yeah. Good night, Pan."
She reached up and kissed him on the cheek before running off to her hotel room and Uub stared at her, stunned. He felt his cheek and closed his eyes with a smile on his face before he entered his hotel room to retire for the night.
In Broly's room, Broly was the first to be startled by the sudden surge of power he sensed and quickly walked over to the window to look outside. Cheelai and Lemo glanced at him, confused.
"Hey big guy, you alright?" Lemo asked. Broly couldn't hide the look of apprehension on his face as he stared out nervously outside. Cheelai hadn't seen a look of concern on his face quite like this and she walked over to him, grabbing his hand.
"Broly, talk to me, what's bothering you?" she asked.
"Kakarot and that other Saiyan are fighting," he said.
Bok and Choi both looked at each other and decided to focus on the direction their father was looking at and they too were taken aback by the energy they sensed when they started to focus.
"What the?" Bok said, startled. Choi steeled his gaze and was able to hide the uneasy feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. The commotion ended up waking Arugula up and she wiped her eyes, staring at her parents.
"Mama? Papa?" she asked and Cheelai glanced back. She sighed briefly, knowing that it'd take a while for her little girl to go back to sleep and she picked her up in her arms, bringing her to the window.
"Is Papa okay?" Arugula asked and Cheelai brushed the hair out of her face.
"Papa's fine, little one. His friend is fighting that strange man we saw earlier today at the restaurant."
"Mm," Arugula hummed and she stared out the window. She could see several lights from other rooms still on and could make out a bit of the skyline that still had a trickle of sunlight dimly lit over the background. She blinked for a moment as she stared outward.
"Mama, is that stranger lonely?" Arugula asked.
"Lonely?"
"Yeah, that stranger is by himself. He feels lonely," Arugula stated and Cheelai cocked an eyebrow.
"Many people who are by themselves tend to feel lonely sometimes," Cheelai said and Arugula looked up at Broly.
"Is Papa scared of the lonely man?" Arugula asked and Cheelai's eyes widened a bit. She set her back down on her bed and placed her neatly underneath the blanket again.
"You should get back to sleep, little one," she told her. Broly sighed and closed the curtains quickly, walking back to the bed he shared with Cheelai. Bok and Choi simply looked at each other and decided not to say anything about it. Choi closed his eyes and grinned again, thinking about his fight tomorrow and lied back down on his pillow with his hands behind his head. Bok stared at his brother for a moment and sighed before lying down on his side. Lemo finished cleaning up in the kitchen area and shut off the lights behind him and headed over to a pillow and sleeping bag set up for him on the floor near Arugula's bed.
"I had a weird dream about Pan-Pan and Mr. Bronto," Arugula said, looking up at her mother.
"What kind of dream?" Cheelai asked, glancing back at Broly, who was sitting length-wise on the bed but wasn't lying down on his pillow just yet. She frowned a bit, worried about that grim expression he wore on his face and turned back to her daughter.
"Mr. Bronto and Pan-Pan were playing out on that platform where she was playing with her friend Bulla but Pan-Pan's arm looked really weird. I saw red paint on Pan-Pan's face and she looked like she had trouble standing up. But when I saw Mr. Bronto's face, it wasn't Mr. Bronto's face at all."
Cheelai paused for a moment, staring down at Arugula. She began to feel a bit nervous hearing her daughter recount the details of her dream and brought the blanket up closer to her chin.
"You probably had a bad dream, little one. Here's Mr. Bronto. See his face? His face looks fine, right Mr. Bronto?"
"Oh you betcha, Miss Arugula. Mr. Bronto is happy to help you get your sleepies in," Cheelai said, speaking in a gruff voice she imitated for the stuffed dino she hovered over Arugula and Arugula chuckled a bit, smiling. She held out her arms and Cheelai brought the dino down for her to wrap her arms around and she closed her eyes, holding it tightly against her face. Cheelai kissed Arugula on the forehead and brushed her hair aside to touch her cheek.
"Goodnight, little one. Mama and Papa love you lots, okay?" Cheelai said, flashing her OK sign. Arugula returned the sign as well and closed her eyes. Cheelai walked over to Broly and gave him a kiss on the lips, shutting off the lamp beside them. She climbed over him and turned off the other lamp and laid down on his lap, stroking his leg.
"Tell me if something's bugging you," she said in a quiet voice.
"I will," Broly said and eased himself down so his head could rest on his pillow. Cheelai adjusted herself so she could nuzzle up closer to him and had her hand on his chest now.
"Do you want to wait until tomorrow to talk about it, or after the Tournament is over?" she asked.
"Yes," was all Broly said and he closed his eyes. Cheelai sighed and wrapped her arms around his large beefy arm and closed her eyes.
"Okay, I won't rush you then," she said.
Elsewhere around the planet, those still gifted with the ability to sense the energy of others had to pause what they were doing and stare off in the distance at the source. Roshi wore a grim face as he walked out of his house and felt the ocean breeze blow against his beard. The sea turtle glanced up at him.
"Is this another sign of danger?" the turtle asked and Roshi hummed under his breath grimly.
"When is that boy not in danger when he fights someone?" he stated and lit up a pipe, taking a couple of puffs before breathing a sigh. It was all they could do but watch the rest of the sun set and welcome the starry skies.
Krillin and his team of officers were busy busting a robbery by a group of armed assailants when he paused and looked over the building for a moment.
"Chief, what's wrong?" asked one of the officers. Krillin wasn't paying attention. Instead, he took to the air to get a better view and it surprised a lot of the people below him.
"Waah! The Chief's flying!"
"When did the Chief get a jetpack?"
"I don't see a jetpack."
"Did he get special rocket boots?"
"Well, he is friends with Capsule Corporation so maybe they gave him something to help him fly."
As the officers were busy conversing with each other, the robbers used this moment of confusion to dart off in all directions, much to the chagrin of the one rookie officer still paying attention.
"Hey! Hey! They're getting away! Anyone?" the rookie said and sighed, looking dejected.
Krillin swallowed and felt his heart pounding. Goku, what did you get yourself into this time? Please be careful.
The energy was even felt across the multiverse. On the new planet the Namekians had relocated to years ago, they had to pause and stare outward. The Namekian elders stopped all motions and stared outward without a word. They each gave each other a grim look and they sensed something was up.
Back in Universe 11, Jiren was searching a remote planet for the whereabouts of the escaped prisoner and stopped, glancing back with a frown on his face. He narrowed his eyes and turned to face the source of the disturbance and he clenched his fists.
In Universe 1, Awamo and Anat observed a grid that contained trillions of illuminated lines, some converging together, while others suddenly stopped and faded out. Some new lines formed and began tracing themselves along the grid, yet several lines looked odd to Awamo when he noticed them. As he examined it further, Anat noticed that his face becoming more panicked.
"Oh no…" Awamo whispered and Anat stared at him.
"Awamo? Is something the matter? I've never seen you like this before," Anat said and Awamo zoomed the display onto a specific section.
"Something is happening to the Network of Fates," Awamo said.
"How is this a cause for concern?" Anat asked.
"I've zoomed in on this particular section here. The lines displayed here are beginning to converge into a spiral pattern leading upward. It's almost unnoticeable to anyone else but if you look closely, they've deviated from their present location by 0.01 percent."
"Is this bad?" Anat asked and Awamo nodded.
"Yes. They're converging to this."
Awamo programmed some codes into the Network and it brought up a holographic projection of where these specific lines are converging and Anat noticed that they began to spiral close together towards a strange black ball hovering very high above the grid of lines. The more Anat stared at the ball, the more uneasy he felt and looked back down at the projected lines spiraling upward towards it.
"What does this mean?" Anat asked.
"Who do the lines belong to?" Awamo asked the Network and images representing each line were put on display. Anat and Awamo were stunned to see Whis and Beerus's face appear.
"What the?" Anat gasped.
The other images were of Goku, Kelerot, and Vegeta, yet Vegeta's line broke off at some point and went in a different direction away from the spiral. As they looked at the direction the lines were going, they noticed that Beerus's line stopped at some point, and the only two lines left leading straight up to the black ball were Goku's and Kelerot's.
"Is this a possible future scenario the Network's estimating?" Anat asked and Awamo frowned.
"As things stand," he said, shutting off the projection, "something is going to happen that could jeopardize Lord Beerus and the Supreme Kai of the 7th universe."
"Is there nothing we can do to prevent it?" Anat asked.
"Nothing intervenes with the Network of Fates without consequence," Awamo said and programmed another projection to superimpose itself onto the one he displayed earlier.
"It would not bode well for us if we intervened. I would cease to exist for violating my covenant and your life would be cut short and by extension Lord Iwen's by some unforeseen circumstance we would not be aware of yet," Awamo stated and Anat examined the projection a bit further.
"Can we not counsel the mortals to look into this and see if they can resolve this potential crisis?" Anat asked.
"It wouldn't matter," Awamo said and continued the simulation where many lines that were converging in the middle with the spiraling lines ended and faded away. He noticed Vegeta's line and it seemed to indicate something different.
"The mortal named Vegeta, there's something different about his fate line," Awamo noticed. "Begin simulation."
The new simulation ran Vegeta's line across the grid and it tied itself in with Kelerot's. The lines both faded and disappeared. The spiraling effect ended and faded as well.
"It seems Vegeta has an important role to play in this situation. Are there any other simulations that bring a similar result?" Awamo asked the Network and it cycled through millions of potential outcomes, each leading to the same foregone conclusion save that of Vegeta's. Anat and Awamo looked on as their faces grew more worried. What concerned them the most was that not even the involvement of the Omni Kings seemed to change the outcome of this.
"Take me to the realm of the Omni Kings, I have to inform the Grand Minister," Awamo said and shut off the Network display. He quickly left the room and Anat followed closely behind.
"What should I say to Lord Iwen?" Anat asked.
"I'll speak to him later about this discovery. Return to your world and continue conducting business with Lord Iwen as per usual. Once the Grand Minister is made aware of this, we'll have to prepare for the inevitable and hope that the other scenario plays out."
"Understood," Anat said and placed his hand on the back of Awamo.
"Kai-Kai," Anat said and the two vanished to teleport directly to the realm of the Omni Kings.
On Lord Beerus's world, Vegeta was training with Whis when he stopped and his eyes widened in shock. Whis blinked a moment and paused as well.
"What the hell was that?" Vegeta said.
"Hm, that seems to be the mortal Goku is with," Whis stated.
"Why is Kakarot fighting him again?" Vegeta asked.
"Who knows? Do you wish to join in?" Whis asked and Vegeta crossed his arms. He powered out of his blue state and stared off at the source of the energy he was sensing.
"Don't be absurd. I don't butt in Kakarot's affairs unless it involves me directly."
"This other Saiyan from universe 11 seems a lot stronger than I initially sensed. Your brief scuffle with him involving Broly did pique my curiosity earlier," Whis said and Vegeta turned around to face him.
"Tch, to think there were Saiyans I wasn't aware of. I thought they were only in the sixth universe," Vegeta said and Whis grinned, chuckling under his breath.
"Would you be surprised to know that all the universes have a variation of the Saiyan race?" Whis said and Vegeta looked back at him, shocked.
"What?!"
"Each universe has a common species, yet the variations are as different as night and day. If you want to find out more, you should pay a visit to the Archives of Universe 1. Awamo's library has everything you ever need to know about everything since the dawn of time."
"So each universe would have Saiyans, then?" Vegeta asked.
"Saiyans, Humans, Namekians, even people like Freeza. You noticed there was a Yardratian from the second universe, remember?" Whis asked and Vegeta looked at the ground for a moment.
"It is curious that this Saiyan from the 11th universe is skilled in fighting," Whis continued. "They're much like the Namekians of this universe: farmers and gatherers. They weren't meant to be fighters yet someone must've recently taught them the art of combat."
"But if they're not meant to be fighters, how did he get this strong? His power practically rivals Jiren's," Vegeta said and even coming to grips with that realization left an unsettled feeling in his gut.
"Despite physical differences between you and other universal variations of Saiyans, you still do share similar genetic traits. They may not have the desire to fight like you do, but they do have the ability to become stronger after recovering from near-fatal injuries."
Vegeta was shocked when he heard this.
"But that's absurd! When did he find the time to grow this strong?" he asked.
"If we were to go back to when Lord Barbon was here, he did mention the prisoner escapee. This Kelerot fellow would have had some time to develop his power and grow strong to the point where he likely can stand toe-to-toe with not only him but Jiren as well."
Vegeta scowled at the ground. He began to pace around the trail between the grassy area and crossed his arms.
If Kelerot is on equal measure with Jiren, none of those Pride Troopers are safe if he ever goes back there.
"Whis, what just woke me up from my nap?" Beerus chimed in, walking up to the two while rubbing his eyes and belting out a yawn. "I just started falling asleep."
"Apologies, my Lord. It would appear the Saiyan from the 11th universe is engaged in a fight with Goku," Whis said and Beerus narrowed his eyes, becoming more alert this time.
"Is that so?" he said calmly. He was still in his bedroom robe when he walked over between Vegeta and Whis and stared outward with his hands behind his back.
"Goku's in trouble if he fights all out against him," Beerus said and Vegeta clenched his fists.
"Dammit, now I feel I've wasted time training here," Vegeta muttered.
"I wouldn't jump the gun so quickly, though," Whis stated and brought up a projection of Goku and Kelerot fighting.
"In sensing Kelerot's energy, I do not detect malicious intent towards Goku. He is showing a remarkable amount of fighting skill for a Saiyan of his universe however," Whis said and Beerus cocked an eyebrow.
"Hmph, so the guy had an impressive teacher, big deal. Whis, ward my room against any further energy disturbances. Next time this happens I'm destroying whatever's the source of it," Beerus said and flew back up to his chambers. Vegeta stared at the fight still projected above Whis's staff and the uneasy feeling he had lingered.
"Kakarot shouldn't have lapsed on his training with that boy so much," he stated.
"He did confide in me that he was willing to sacrifice some of his time spent here to train Buu's reincarnation. He is aware of his current situation and aims to rectify that once he's confident in his protégé."
"If I were there instead, I'd have given Kelerot a much better fight," he said.
"It is entirely possible. You are on the verge of a remarkable breakthrough," Whis said with a grin on his face.
Vegeta gave him a look as the projection faded yet Whis didn't say anything further on the matter, only turning around to walk back up to the structure and used his staff to erect a barrier around it. Vegeta walked over to one of the pillars near the lake and sat on top of it, closing his eyes to focus on his meditation and mental training.
Present time…
When Goku and Piccolo touched down on Papaya island, Goku wore a confident smile on his face, hands behind his head. Piccolo scoffed and smirked at him.
"Heh, you seem the least bit unnerved out of all of us. I think everyone across the universes felt Kelerot's power," he said.
"Yeah. But it's nothing we haven't faced before, remember?" Goku stated.
"Father!" Gohan cried out and he ran up to meet the two.
"Are you alright?" He asked and Goku flashed him a "V" with his fingers, chuckling.
"Your father's fine, he seemed to enjoy his fight with Kelerot immensely," Piccolo said and he waved at the two.
"I'm going to rest up for tomorrow. I hope Pan's prepared enough for her match," he said and Gohan frowned, staring at him.
"That kid I saw fight Trunks, he's one of Broly's kids, right?" he asked and Goku nodded.
"Yeah, he's really strong and incredibly fast. Trunks may have not been ready to fight him but I know Pan has a lot of skill to bring to this one."
Piccolo walked past the two of them. "See you in the morning."
"Good night, Piccolo," Gohan said and he was left alone with his father.
"Last time we were together like this you met Uub for the first time," Gohan said and Goku smiled.
"It was the best time I've ever had since the Tournament of Power," he said. Goku had a very excited look on his face and Gohan couldn't help but feel relaxed when he saw that expression.
"Should we be worried about this guy, father?" Gohan asked.
"He wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't harm any of us or the planet, I got that much from him. He's been through a lot of bad experiences and it's influenced a desire for revenge against the Pride Troopers. The only one who might still have a chance against him now is Jiren."
"Kelerot is really that strong?" Gohan asked and Goku nodded.
"Yeah. Strong, and very skilled. His energy control is even better than mine, it's scary thinking about it. Once this Tournament is over I'm leaving to see Lord Beerus and focus on my training seriously so I can catch up. As I am now, I know I wouldn't be able to defeat Kelerot, much less Jiren. I hate that I had to sacrifice all that time to train Uub but I knew it was for a good reason. Uub's way stronger as he is now than when he was Majin Buu."
"So he really is Buu reborn, then?" Gohan asked and Goku grinned.
"Yeah. When I defeated Buu, King Yemma overheard my request and reincarnated him as a good person and Uub was born shortly afterwards. He has all of Buu's power but all of the evil had been cleansed from him for good."
Gohan and Goku began walking down the sidewalk that was overlooked by the main building that housed the contestant waiting area and the large fighting platform. Gohan had his hands in his pockets and Goku resumed with his hands behind his head.
"Tomorrow Uub has to fight Buu. Do you think he'll be okay against him?" Gohan asked, but Goku didn't say anything, he only smiled back at him as he glanced to his side at his son. Gohan felt that this was a look of reassurance when he saw his father smile like that and didn't say nor ask anything else on the matter.
Capsule Corporation…
Bulma put the finishing touches on a chassis that was concealed underneath a large thick blanket. She stood back up and turned to New 16, who had stood by handing her tools when she asked for them. She wiped her brow and extinguished a cigarette in its ash tray and 16 took notice.
"I have detected a twenty percent reduction in lung capacity due to your ongoing tobacco and nicotine consumption," he said, looking at her.
"Yeah yeah, I know, it's a bad habit I picked up. And I'll spare you looking at my breasts thank you very much," Bulma said, closing her jacket around her, zipping it up. She hooked up 16's head to the computer on the table near the worktable that had the blanket on top and she began entering a few codes.
"What have you been working on?" New 16 asked.
"Your new body. I used Bulla's schematics for your current model and was able to cross-reference that with the blueprints from your old model. You should look mostly like what you used to though your new body will have a more streamlined appearance and not be as bulky as it was before."
"I am not the same as my previous model, Doctor Bulma," New 16 said and Bulma lit up another cigarette. "Smoking within two minutes after the previous one will shorten your lung capacity another 0.24 percent. Your risk of contracting lung cancer has increased 0.85 percent since my last scan."
"I don't care about your estimates, I only care that you're fully functional. Now shut up and let me work on your data transfer," Bulma said and she shut him down. His eyes shut off and were showing blank slots where his irises would've been and she breathed a sigh of relief, albeit coughing a couple times from the cigarette smoke. She scoffed and extinguished the freshly lit cigarette in the ashtray.
"Damn you," she muttered and began the transfer, which given the large amount of data, would at most be over an hour long. Her father entered the room with a thermos in his hand, setting it down near Bulma.
"I brought you coffee, dear," Dr. Briefs said and Bulma grinned up at him.
"Thanks, dad," she said and poured herself a cup.
"The new body's completed?" he asked, walking over to peek underneath the blanket.
"Yeah. Just routine stuff from now on and he'll be up and running by dinnertime tomorrow," Bulma said, yawning and stretching.
"How did they do at the Tournament today?" he asked and Bulma leaned on her hand. She took another sip of her cup and set it down. Dr. Briefs lit up a cigarette and Bulma took one from his pack, lighting it up herself.
"As well as you'd expect. Bulla and Pan put up a great fight but she lost by ring out. Trunks didn't even put up a fight against Broly's kid and he was knocked out as soon as the gong rang. I feel I might be to blame for all the stress I've been putting him through. He's off to spend time with Goten and Marron on 17's island."
"I came to let you know that I might have stumbled upon a breakthrough in our research," Dr. Briefs said and Bulma's eyes widened a bit.
"Are you sure?"
"Not entirely sure but it's worth a try. If the calculations are correct, our infinite engine core should be a success."
Bulma couldn't contain her excitement.
"Dad, that's great! I can't believe we'll achieve our own version of the technology that Dr. Gero invented!" she cried out and hugged her father. She almost felt like crying but instead took another sip from her cup and patted New 16's head.
"To think we spent years trying to replicate Gero's work and failing so many times only to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I pray we finally get this to work."
"Go get some sleep, Bulma, I'll finish up here," Dr. Briefs told her and she finished her cup. It wasn't going to keep her awake for much longer but she did enjoy the dark roast flavor her father brewed up. She closed the thermos tightly again and set it aside, extinguishing her cigarette in the ashtray that had built up quite the collection of butts and half-smoked cigarettes from hers and Dr. Briefs's packs. She stretched and left the room. Her communicator watch beeped and she turned it on to show Bulla's face on the display.
"Hey mama, I wasn't sure if you were still up or not," Bulla said.
"No worries, just finishing up some work that took up a lot of my time. How are things so far over there?"
"Well, Goku was off fighting that strange guy who looked like a monkey. If you could feel his energy, you'd be knocked on your butt before you even knew what hit you!"
"Goku was fighting again? Sheesh, when will he ever take a break for once?" Bulma said, sighing and she began a coughing fit that caused Bulla to look at her with a bit of worry.
"You're not getting sick, are you? Please don't overwork yourself mama, you're not as young as you used to be," Bulla said and Bulma twitched when she heard that, glaring at the screen with a smirk on her face.
"I'll be fine," Bulma said. And you'll be grounded first thing when you get back home.
"Well, if you say so. Good night, mama!" Bulla said and shut her screen off. Bulma closed her communication watch and walked down to her room with her hands in her coat pocket.
Bulla and Pan's room…
After Bulla shut off her communicator, one of the apps on her watch began to beep and she looked at it.
"What is it?" Pan asked, glancing over her shoulder. The girls had changed into their pajamas and were sitting on the same bed for the time being. Pan was still brushing her hair after she had finished her bath and waited for Bulla to shut off the light so they could get to sleep.
"My dragon radar's going off," Bulla said and brought up a holographic projection of the planet with seven blinking lights indicating the Dragonballs. Pan's eyes lit up as she looked at it.
"You built a dragon radar?" Pan asked, looking at the lights more closely.
"Yeah, it was a fun little project I made for myself using the blueprints from mama's old radar prototype. I didn't want that bulky thing taking up space so I designed an app with the same frequency the radar uses to track the Dragonballs, only I beefed up the signal to give us a more precise location of where they are. We have two in storage back home but I'm seeing two more together and they look like they're on the move to a third one several hundred miles east of their location."
Pan couldn't hold back her excitement and Bulla felt it as well. They looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pan?" Bulla asked.
"Are you kidding? I can't waste this opportunity!" Pan replied and Bulla closed the app.
"When the Tournament's over, we should start looking for the Dragonballs and make a wish for ourselves!" Bulla cried out and the girls held their hands together.
"What should we wish for?" Pan asked. Bulla was going to answer but came up blank.
"I, I don't know," Bulla said and Pan chuckled a bit.
"I wish I could travel anywhere in the universe, unhindered by the vacuum of space," Pan said and Bulla's eyes widen.
"Wow, that's a pretty big wish."
"What about you, Bulla? There has to be something you'd want more than anything," Pan said and Bulla blushed a bit.
"I don't know if I should tell you," Bulla said, her cheeks flush and red. "I'm kinda embarrassed to say this out loud."
"Please, tell me! I promise I won't laugh, whatever it is."
"Well, okay. I kind of want the dragon to give me a boyfriend," Bulla said and Pan stared at her for a moment, stunned. Then she let out a loud squeal and gripped Bulla's hands tightly. Bulla covered Pan's mouth quickly, face full of panic.
"Not so loud! You'll wake up the others in the hotel!" Bulla said in a loud whisper. She lowered her hand and glanced to the side.
"I can't wait to see that happen. You and your boyfriend, me and Uub together on so many double dates. Not even your dad would be upset. He'd stand proud and proclaim that his daughter chose the best man to gain his blessing and become her new husband when she reaches of age!" Pan cried out and Bulla gritted her teeth, her face growing redder as Pan spoke.
"Oh shut up! You made it sound like a stupid idea now," Bulla said and walked off the bed.
"I'm kidding, Bulla, don't take it so personally," Pan said and sat on the edge of the bed. Bulla stared back at her.
"I hope you didn't get the silly idea that I had rebuilt Android 16 to be a boyfriend, because he's not," Bulla said and Pan's smile faded.
"Bulla, why would I think you'd build a robot to be your boyfriend?"
"I don't know, I thought you'd think I was some weirdo friend who obsesses over robots and machines so much," Bulla said, hugging herself. She couldn't hide the embarrassment on her face and Pan pursed her lips, glancing down at the floor.
"Being alone a lot really sucks. Every time I try to talk to a boy I liked, papa was always there to give them that look of his and they'd run off. Sometimes when we'd go shopping he'd make sure none of the older kids would approach me, even though I did like the attention I was getting. Sometimes I'd see older boys try to take advantage of me but then I'd punch them in the gut and they fall over. Now I can't go out in public without all the boys avoiding me because I've built up such a reputation for being strong and having a strong father. Papa wants me to focus on training first before I go out with anyone. Honestly, I kinda want a nice quiet smart boy who can help build things with me and work on cool projects. Goten was the only really strong boy that I liked a lot now that I think about it."
"You had a crush on uncle Goten?" Pan asked. "I didn't know that."
"Well, I was still very little and hadn't fully started learning how to fight yet but yeah, your uncle was really cute and he had this cute smile he'd always have when we played together."
"I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time with your crush on Choi," Pan said and Bulla's face regained its composure.
"I'm done with that kid. His brother's way nicer than he is and I hope he talks some sense into him before he does something stupid tomorrow."
"Well, Bok is his twin brother, you could probably go on a date with him after the Tournament. Maybe ask him to tag along and find the Dragonballs together. The four of us searching the globe and getting a wish. I know! The biggest bowl of ice cream you could ever imagine! With four spoons!"
"Make it with strawberries and chocolate fudge and you got yourself a wish," Bulla said and the two exchanged a handshake while giggling. Pan dived into her own bed and shut the lamp off, her head hitting the pillow with a smile on her face, licking her lips as she pictured the giant sundae in her head. Bulla sat up for a moment before she slid down under the sheets and shut off her table lamp before falling asleep.