The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
3 Months Later...
The slight rocking motion as the boat sped along through the crystal blue water was always very calming for Eve. Watching as they glided through the endless blue in front of them, brought her mind elsewhere. Particularly to these last few months. So much has happened since she found herself in this strange new reality, she finds herself beginning to appreciate.
One being from the start, she never had to worry about where'd she go or what she'd do. As promised, Bulma had no problem letting the young woman settle into their own home. Two, even though Eve is unsure how the older woman was able to do it; she was able to get her settled in with a position at one of the best Oceanographic Institutes on the east coast. Coincidentally, the Institute was situated just outside of city limits down by the water.
When Eve asked how the Capsule Corp Heiress managed that when she had none of her credentials on her to provide them, Bulma just smiled and sent her a wink. Even when the younger woman kept asking, trying to get her to spill, the blue haired woman wouldn't budge. She just told Eve not to worry or dwell on it. All that matter was that she now had a job as a Marine Life Photographer and Documentarian again.
Eve really couldn't thank her enough or believe how bighearted the blue haired scientist was. Within such short time, Bulma and the others have seemed to have done so much for her. In a way, they reminded her of Drew and his family. When they took her in, many years ago. Thinking about that and him along with his family made her heart hurt. He and the rest of her crew were the most amazing friends anyone could've ever hoped for. And she can't help but worry and feel sad as she imagined what they may be going through upon learning her supposed death in her reality.
It was something that was incidentally brought up while she was talking with Bulma and her parents one day. They tried to reassure her and tell her not to harp on it, and that things will get better in time. Yet, it also opened the pandora box for her, because they all started inquiring about her own life and her family. Something that was an extremely touchy subject for Eve.
Something that didn't go unnoticed when Eve quickly and fluidly switched topics. They all were silent at first, but eventually took the hint and went onto something else. Bulma still quietly observed the mysterious young woman as she conversed with her mom and dad. She knew there was a lot more to the young woman that meets the eye. And she wants to find out more but doesn't want to make her new guest and friend feel uncomfortable or put on the spot.
Eve's thoughts were interrupted when someone called over to her.
"See anything interesting yet, Eve?!" The voice called over above the roar of the boat engine.
She turned and saw it was Tenshi. He was one of her work colleagues. The young man was very outgoing and friendly and like the rest of the crew; made her feel very welcomed when she started with them a few weeks back.
"Nothing yet! A lot of the wildlife out here probably fled because Lorelei won't stop passing gas from the spicy cod roe she had earlier for lunch!" Eve shouted back.
Three of the crew laughed at her joke. While the fourth, Lorelai just scoffed and rolled her eyes. Though she too couldn't keep the amused smirk off of her face either. They certainly find her antics and funny personality amusing that was for sure. It was to the point her and another colleague of theirs; Ritsu had a friendly rivalry between the two. Something that provided the rest of the crew with live entertainment at times.
"Tell me about it! I can only hope she doesn't use the bathroom until after we're finished here and leave for home later!" Ritsu yelled back.
"Then it will suck for you, Ritsu! Considering we live together!" Lorelei quipped back.
It was no secret that the two were together and shared a flat together. So, in a way, he shot himself in the foot with that one.
Before Ritsu could respond, Drake spoke up from his seat behind the wheel.
"Ok children, that's enough! I'm about to stop soon because we're just about on top of our destination! So, keep an eye out for any surface activity!" Drake yelled over the motor.
The rest of the crew set their sights on the water for signs of movement and or surfacing. The animal/s in question they were on the look for were striped dolphins. Their mission was to take some samples to see how some of the frequent residents were doing health wise. They all sadly knew that the species was frequently hunted at certain times of the year. The institute wanted to try and gather some data on numbers and to see how the population around here were really doing. They were hoping to see a healthy number of bulls, cows, and calves.
Someone had just radioed in just ten-minutes ago and informed the group that a couple of research vessels had spotted breaching activity in this general vicinity. Some of the breaching individuals cleared the water, giving people onboard the vessels' full view of the animals. Spotters have definitely confirmed the species as striped dolphins.
Another eight-minutes went by, before they spotted movement in the distance off the starboard side. Caleb pulled up his binoculars to take a better look. A few moments later, a smile lit up his face, and he turned to the rest of them.
"I have confirmation of activity. Though I can't tell yet if it's striped dolphins or another species of dolphin or porpoise. We'll know more as we get a little closer and drop anchor." He confirmed.
Everyone was getting excited and eager. They all knew what their jobs were. Lorelai was going to lean over the side with a Petrie dish connected to a long thin pole to collect expelled air from any passing individual that came close enough to the boat. Caleb was going to scrape off a small skin sample. Drake was going to take notes and records. And Eve along with Ritsu was going to enter the water for some photos.
The boat slowed down and came to a stop a few meters from the large pod of animals. Drake checked the fish finder before dropping anchor. Luckily, the conditions were rather calm. The water was quite placid and not choppy. The crew helped Eve and Ritsu into their wetsuits before handing them their gear. The air tanks and apparatuses were thoroughly checked and tested. And the two divers threw on their goggles right before grabbing their cameras.
Caleb drew up the diver's flag and gave them the 'ok' to dive. The pair dropped backwards into the cool water. Once they were fully submerged and the disturbance settled, the two of them were bombarded with the familiar clicking and whistling of dolphins. By the amount being thrown around, there were quite a few of them.
As Eve and Ritsu slowly made their way over, they spotted around fifteen-seventeen individuals. Their movements were quick and agile as they appeared to be feeding on fish. The pod consisted of several adults and so far, Eve spotted around four calves and six juveniles. It was quite a magnificent sight and she started taking pictures of the graceful marine mammals.
A few minutes into snapping pictures, a couple curious juveniles swam over to the two scuba divers and circled them. Apparently, the animals were just as intrigued with the humans in the water as they were of the dolphins. It also provided them with great closeup pics. One individual turned on their side and curiously eyed the camera Eve was holding. It was a cute display and it reminded her of a dog that cocks its head to the side when viewing something.
The young dolphin circled around her a couple more times until she heard a set of rapid clicks from the pod. Then the animal made a quick B-Line back to their pod. The animals appeared to be finishing up with their meal and were ready to move on. A few more pics were taken until the pod left.
They still had a few minutes left on their tanks and Eve decided to take some picks of some of the pretty tropical fish and coral down below. The water here wasn't all that deep, probably a good twenty-five to thirty feet. In some areas the coral reefs rose up a good few feet from the sandy bottom. Those were the areas she was focusing on with her camera.
A couple minutes into taking picks of some pink nephthea coral something shiny caught her eye to her left within the coral. Eve turned her attention to the source thinking there was some type of fish nestled within the coral. She swam over with camera in hand hoping to get in one last picture.
As she drew closer, she squinted her eyes and noticed something odd. This thing that was shining remained stationary and from what she could see of it appeared round. 'Odd, it looks completely spherical. Whatever it is.' She thought.
The way it shined didn't seem like any kind of fish or cephalopod she knew either. It shined more like in inanimate object than something living. It was also bright orange in color. Her curiosity got the better of her and she cautiously reached over to touch it. Eve lightly tapped it. The object in question was cool to the touch, completely solid, and smooth. This further confirmed for her that this couldn't have been a living animal. Even a shell wasn't this flawless and smooth. Nor this shiny either.
She grasped the object and started to pull it out. Eve had to give it a couple firm tugs before it finally came loose in her hand. She held it up in front of her. It appeared to be some type of softball size glass ball. It was bright orange and appeared to have one single red star in the middle of it. She turned it in her hand, inspecting it.
It certainly was an interesting find. A few moments later, Eve jumped slightly when she felt a slight weight on her shoulder. She quickly turned to see Ritsu behind her. He gestured to the surface with his thumb and motioned for her to go up. She nodded and they both slowly ascended to the surface near the boat. She kept her camera under one arm while holding her find in her other hand.
They broke the surface a few feet from the transom, where the rest of the crew were waiting to assist them. They handed over their cameras first and she handed the orange ball over to Lorelei. Ritsu then gestured for her to go up the ladder first.
Eve stepped onto the platform and sat on the edge of the transom and took off her flippers. Drake then handed her and Ritsu a towel.
"What's this, Eve?" Lorelei asked, as she turned the ball over looking at it curiously.
She shrugs, "Not sure, I found it in some coral down there while taking pics. Looks pretty neat though."
"Yeah, not even your sixth dive and it looks like you found yourself a good luck charm." Lorelei teases, as she hands the mysterious ball back to Eve.
"I probably wouldn't call it that. But it is a pretty interesting looking little trinket. Could bring it home as a housewarming present, I guess." She joked.
"How is the new place you were set up in by the way?" Caleb asks.
"It's nice, though I still can't get over how quickly it was made. Seeing as it literally popped out of thin air and all." Eve replied.
"Yeah, your lucky though. You got one of the latest model capsule homes." Caleb said.
It's true, it really was a nice little home. Bulma set her up with it three weeks ago. Eve's jaw nearly dropped down to the ground when the older woman pulled what appeared to be a small capsule out of her pocket, pressed a little button and tossed it. Eve jumped when it made a weird swooshing sound and a huge cloud of smoke appeared. The craziest thing though was when the smoke dissipated, and what was once a bare spot in the grass, now had a domed shape house in its stead.
She looked at Bulma completely flabbergasted and uttered; 'How!?'. The blue haired scientist chuckled at her response and the baffled look on the younger woman's face. 'Only the latest in advanced tech.' Was all Bulma told her. Before she gave Eve a tour of the nice size home. Something that blew her mind even more when she stepped through the front door to a fully furnished home.
It certainly was extremely advanced tech and Eve found herself saying she couldn't accept such a gift. It's one thing to give someone a small present, but an entire freakin' house was on a whole new level as far as gift giving goes. It shocked her even more when Bulma shrugged it off as if it were no big deal and informed her that it was fine, and this was just one of many inventions built by her and her company at Capsule Corp.
Plus, she knew Eve needed a fresh start, seeing as she came here from another reality completely with nothing but the clothes on her back. It nearly brought tears to the young woman's eyes at being given such a gift. Even though Eve originally wanted to work and save up money to buy a home here, she knew it would take a long time to do so. Especially, since she had to have a whole new account made up for her.
Thinking about it gave her an idea.
"I know it may not be much. But maybe I can give this to Bulma as a 'Thank You' gift for everything her and her family have done for me." She said aloud.
"It is quite pretty and unique. I'm sure she'd love it." Lorelei added.
Eve smiled as she looked at the orange ball again. Then she put it in her small cinch sack. She had time later today. She can bring it over to Bulma's later after a shower and change.
The boat ride back was nice and relaxing. It didn't take long before they were pulling up the port. They helped tied the boat to the dock before parting ways. Eve told them she'd upload the pics to her laptop and save them to a file before emailing some of the best ones over to them. She'd also stop in at the photo shop in town to get them developed.
Her new capsule home was situated in a very good spot. It was only ten-minutes from the port, thirteen-minutes from the institute, and fifteen-minutes from Bulma's. She wasn't all that far from the other homes either. Goku and Gohan's homes were not all that far from her either. Sometimes they'd come and visit her to see how she's settling in.
Though, her visits now will minus two certain Saiyans; as they left over a week ago to train again on Lord Beerus's World. It was definitely weird when Goku mentioned this to her not that long ago. If someone from her reality told her they were going out into the void of space to train on some Deity's World, she would've written them off as insane and steered clear of them. But after everything she has experienced and seen so far, it shouldn't come to no surprise.
Eve parked her new car (which was also another capsule invention) on the dirt driveway by the house. She hung up her light jacket in the small closet to her right next to the front door than proceeded to her room to grab a change of clothes before heading to the shower. She finished and was out in twelve-minutes. Then grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and gave Bulma a call to see if she's home.
"Hey Bulma, you home by any chance?" She asks.
"Yeah, what's up?" Came her voice over the phone.
"Is it ok I drop by? I have something I'd like to give you." Eve said.
"Sure, you can come by. What did you get?" She asked.
"You'll see, it's better I show you." Eve replied.
"Fair enough, I'll see you in a few, Hun." Bulma said.
"'Kay, I'll be right over then. See you in a bit." She says.
"Alright, see you then. Bye." She tells her.
"Later." Eve said, before hanging up.
She grabs her cinch sack on the way out along with her light jacket. Then Eve leaves and starts heading for Bulma's.
Eve pulled up about fifteen-minutes later and knocked on the front door. Panty Briefs opened the door and smiled.
"Why hello, Dear. Fancy seeing you here. How's the house? You feeling settled in yet?" Panty asks as she lets the young woman in.
"Hey. Yeah, I'm getting there. Little by little. Better off now than I was three months ago when I came here." Eve admitted.
As they chatted, Trunks came running over with Goten behind him.
"Hey Eve, what's up?" The purple haired youth said.
"Everything is great, kiddo. How you guys doing. Better yet, what have you two been up to?" She teases.
It didn't take Eve too long to figure out that these two are quite the mischievous duo when their together. Their antics were hilarious at times. She had the privilege of meeting all the kids. This included Bulla, Pan, and Marron. They were all adorable and sweet.
"Who us? What makes you think we're up to something?" Goten says with a sly grin.
"Yeah, we were just playing a game of tag earlier before you came. Right Goten?" Trunks inquires.
"Right." The dark-haired youth quips back.
Before they could say anymore, Bulma walked over to greet her.
"Hey, Hun. How you doing?" She asks.
"I'm good, I just had something to give you. Think of it as a 'Thank You' gift. I actually found it during a dive earlier today. It's certainly quite interesting." Eve says, as she fishes the object out of her cinch sack.
When she finally pulls it out, Bulma's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Wow, Eve. I can't believe it. You found a dragon ball." Bulma told her.
Eve furrowed her dark brows and looks down at the bright orange ball in her hand. She recalls Bulma telling her about these 'magical' balls not that long ago. She never would've believed there was such a thing that could summon a dragon who grants wishes. But she's slowly learning that just about anything is possible in this reality apparently. Even so, she would've never have guessed this is what they look like. It looks like an ordinary little trinket.
"Wait, are you serious? It looks like an ordinary little orange ball." Eve replied.
Bulma gestured her head and waved her arm for Eve to follow her. She led her down a few halls and downstairs to her lab. Having nothing better to do, the boys followed the two women.
They entered the lab and Bulma led Eve over to her work desk. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out an identical ball to the one she held in her hand. The first ball was followed by two more as Bulma set three orange balls down on her desk. Eve noticed the similarities. They all even had the same little red stars situated in the center. Only difference was they all had a different number of stars on them.
"No way. You actually have three of these things?" Eve gasps.
Bulma nods, "Yeah, I used the dragon radar and found these. You were lucky that you found yours by chance. And like I mentioned to you before, there are seven in total. So, now there are currently three still out there."
"And now you have four." Eve said, as she tried handing her dragon ball over to Bulma.
To her surprise, Bulma shook her head.
"Thanks, Eve. But you can hang onto that one if you'd like. I may collect them from time to time. But you found this dragon ball. So, you may as well keep it. Thank you for the offer though. It still was very thoughtful of you." Bulma told her.
"You sure, Bulma? I don't really have use of it." Eve says.
Bulma smiles, "I'm sure. You can hang onto it for me if anything. That way if we ever do need it, I'll let you know. Keep it for luck."
Eve was silent for a couple moments, before she spoke again.
"Alright, thanks. Just let me know when and if you need it." She said, as she put it back in her cinch sack.
"You got it." The Capsule Corp Heiress replied.
Eve guesses she can just put it on her bookcase for now if anything. At least until when and if it needs to be used. She can imagine it must be a spectacular sight to behold and witness.
Another extra-long chapter to make up for the long delay. Frieza should be making an appearance either in the next chapter or the one after. Until Next Time ;)