Taken from the biography "Digital Angel" by Bulma Briefs:

Once upon a time...

That's how most fantasy tales start. With a "once upon a time" in the beginning and a "happily ever after" at the end.

Though it was no fantasy what happened several years ago. It wasn't real either. More surreal, looking back at what happened.

I was sixteen back then... a young, beautiful, brilliant woman spending my summer vacation doing some exploring. I didn't expect to find too much. But what I would find would not only change my life, but the lives of everyone on Earth.

I would find a hero.

THE 18TH
"Chapter One"
By
Ken Blackwell

September 1st, 754 A.D.

Bulma Briefs stepped out from her car, looking around at the wilderness that surrounded her. With a sigh, she pulled out a circular device and examined the blinking dots before her in the LED readout.

Let's see... it's got to be right around here... maybe... northwest? she glanced up at the immediate direction, then shook her head. Damn... good thing I charged up the car's battery this morning. I still got a ways to go... Sliding back into the car she switched on its ignition and drove northwest, following the compass-like device.

After several minutes of driving, Bulma hit the brakes, a huge mountain range right in front of her.

"..." Bulma sighed deeply, getting out of the car as she stared up at the mountain range. "... crap, if I had known I'd be doing some mountain climbing I would've brought gear with me..." Reaching into the car she flipped a switch on the dashboard. And moments later it vanished with a poof, leaving behind a small capsule. Bulma then extracted a case from her pouch, placing the capsule alongside several others.

Well... better get going... she finalized.

And so Bulma started climbing. And while she had very little experience in the matter, she managed to do adequately well, despite a few harrowing close calls when an occasional hand or foot hold would give way from her. After a good twenty minutes worth, Bulma finally made it halfway, and she collapsed to her stomach, panting heavily and giving thanks that her New Year's resolution to take aerobics classes had paid off.

"... okay... n-no... no more climbing..." she gasped. ... I should see if I can go around it from here then climb down... Sitting up onto her knees, she gave pause as she spotted something perplexing; a glint of metal before her under the rocky mountain wall itself.

That's weird... Bulma thought as she stood up, walking closer towards it as curiosity overtook her, inspecting the metal intently. This looks like a door of some kind! And it's ajar, too... hm, I could squeeze through it, I think... but should I even bother? Bulma pulled out the compass-like device once more. Hm... well, they're not going anywhere... I can afford a quick look-see inside, then.

Bulma wriggled herself in-between the steel doors of the hidden entranceway, giving an extra bit of thanks she added a diet with the aerobics workouts. She found herself in a very dim room; very little illumination shone through, but Bulma could make out several pieces of electrical equipment, as well as a series of computers, as her vision adjusted to the darkness.

Looks like I'm in some kind of lab... almost like Daddy's! Bulma realized. She then recalled that she brought a flashlight with her just in case her travels would take a subterranean turn. Pulling it from her pouch she switched it on.

Directly in the path of a body.

Bulma screamed in fright, dropping the flashlight to the floor. Placing a hand to her mile-a-minute beating heart, she blinked once in surprise. "W-what the hell WAS that?!" she exclaimed out loud. Snatching the flashlight back up, she warily brought its beam back towards what she found, and her fears were confirmed.

Bulma had found a dead body. It was a girl, about three or four years older than she was. Blonde hair that stretched down to her neck, her body entirely nude from head to toe as she floated in a coffin-like container, immersed in greenish fluid.

... sick... Bulma thought in disgust. Who would be so twisted to... to pickle a dead girl in a jar like this?! Bulma whispered a prayer for the dead girl's soul, then glanced at a desk nearby, and a seemingly intact computer. This must belong to the freak who did this... future police evidence, I bet... better make sure first... Bulma sat down in front of it, switching it on and waited for it to boot up.

Good morning, Dr. Gero. the computer's automated voice greeted.

"... Huh?" Bulma blinked. Where have I heard that name before... oh, I remember! Dr. Klaus Gero! In an academic journal I read for a school project! He was a top scientist, specializing in robotics and a new medium called... oh, what did he call it... biocybernetics! Everyone who knew him said he was a jerk, but he was still a genius... Bulma glanced back at the lifeless girl in the container. ... now it looks like he's also a murderer... poor girl must've been kidnapped and... she sighed sadly, shaking her head.

"... what did I get myself into..." whined Bulma. "I knew I should've just..." With a sigh, she took the mouse in hand and clicked on the "My Computer" icon. "Oh, well... no turning back now..." Upon opening the file she came across two folders, marked "#17" and #18." Curiosity overtaking her once again, she clicked on the "#17" folder icon first.

ACCESS DENIED
ENTER CONFIRMATION CODES
OK Cancel

"..." Bulma blinked, getting the message on-screen. "... okay, whatever..." After clicking on the "Cancel" button she moved the mouse cursor to the "#18" folder, clicking on it.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACTIVATE THE 18TH?
Yes No

Bulma cocked her head. The 18th? The 18th what? Sounds almost like some kind of video game or something... normally I'd love to play a game or two but I got a dead girl in an oversized pickle jar next to me! She brought the mouse cursor to the "No" button. But hesitated. It... could be a ploy, though. Dr. Gero's a genius... he probably set this up to make it look unsuspicious...

Bulma shifted the cursor to the left, clicking "Yes." And Bulma watched as various programs began loading at a rapid pace on-screen, not noticing the dead girl in the container twitching at random intervals.

ACTIVATION COMPLETE
OK

"... well, that was a whole lot of nothing..." Bulma sighed. ".. what WAS that all about, anyhow?" Getting up from the computer she stretched her back and arms out, then pulled out a cell phone. "Better call the police already... they can handle it, I've wasted enough time here." She walked from the computer, then glanced over to the girl in the container. "... tough luck... well, rest in peace. At least you're in a better place."

The girl's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"..." Bulma stared back, dumbstruck as she stepped back in shock, the girl's eyes ice blue, with an equally icy stare. Her fists clenched, and the girl reared back, punching through the container and shattering the glass effortlessly. Bulma fell backward, landing on her posterior as the formerly-dead-now-very-lively naked girl dropped down from the destroyed container, staring coldly at Bulma.

"Where is he?" the girl asked flatly.

"W-who...?" Bulma stammered.

"Dr. Gero."

"I-I don't know... I just... f-found you and tinkered with the c-computer and..." Bulma paused as the girl went to the computer, typing in confirmation codes only she knew. "... I thought you were dead."

"I was in stasis," the girl corrected. "... for 12 years, according to records..." she signed softly, then looked around. "... my brother's gone. And everything's a wreck." She glanced towards Bulma. "... who are you?"

"Uh... I, uh..." Bulma then remembered the pistol she had holstered to her side, and quickly pulled it out, aiming it at the girl. "Okay, back off!! I don't know what's g-going on but I don't want any part of it!!"

"If you don't know what's going on, then perhaps it was stupid of you to pull a gun on me." The girl glared at Bulma with her icy stare, as she approached her.

"STAY BACK!!" Bulma screamed, and she pulled the trigger, the gun discharging directly towards the girl's chest. But she didn't recoil... showing absolutely no signs of being shot, not even an entrance wound. The girl raised an arm out to the side, dropping the still-hot bullet she had caught to the floor, and she pushed Bulma aside, forcing her to fall to her knees as she reached a locker with the number "18" etched in the door. Bulma stared at the bullet on the ground in astonishment, then looked back at the girl, who had impossibly dug her fingers into the metal locker door, ripping it from its hinges as if it were made of construction paper.

... this can't be happening... she caught that bullet...! She... she ripped open that locker... it's... like she's immune to the very laws of physics...!!

Bulma continued to watch as the girl pulled a set of clothes from the locker, and promptly began to dress herself with them. And in a matter of moments, she was no longer nude; she was now clad in a black long-sleeved T-shirt, the sleeves white with black stripes, as well as brown buckled boots, a blue denim miniskirt with black tights underneath, and a blue denim jacket with the sleeves ripped off, a red ribbon-like insignia on the back with twin "Rs" within, side to side. She looked back at Bulma, still with that cold stare of hers, then raised a hand towards her, palm facing her, an action that left Bulma confused somewhat.

"..." The girl hesitated. Then lowered her hand with a sigh, turning around and walking towards the exit.

"... w-wait!" Bulma stood up, an idea forming as she approached the girl. "Hey, wait up!"

"The only reason why I didn't kill you just now was because I didn't feel like it," the girl stated abruptly. "... there was no need. Plus.. you're the first human I've seen in so long. So if you want to continue doing that in-out-in-out action with your lungs, I suggest you leave me alone. I have a brother to find."

"Well... m-maybe we can help each other then!"

"You have nothing that I want."

"That may not necessarily be true... look, just give me five minutes to explain, okay?"

"..." the girl crossed her arms, unamused. "Five minutes. You better not bore me. I get cranky when I'm bored."

"Okay, okay... fair enough..." Bulma reached into her pouch, pulling out two fist-sized orange spheres, one with two stars within it glowing faintly, the other with five stars. "Check THESE out!!"

"... wow, oversized novelty marbles..." the girl said flatly. "I can hardly contain my excitement."

"No no... they're called 'Dragon Balls!'" corrected Bulma.

"Severed dragon testicles. You're right, that's MUCH better."

"..." Bulma sighed. "Can I PLEASE explain, Cynical Lass?"

The girl shrugged. "Go on, go on..."

"All right..." Bulma held the two-starred sphere in her hand. "I found this one in my cellar back home... I had no idea what it was and neither did anyone else I asked. So I did some research and I found this old old story that described them. There were originally seven Dragon Balls, and each of them glows with the light of the tiny stars inside, from one to seven."

"... so you're collecting them, then. Why?"

"That's the amazing part! When you get all seven, and you chant just the right chant, you can summon Shenlong, the Eternal Dragon! He'll grant you ANY wish!"

"... and you believe that..." the girl asked, still skeptical.

"Yeah, I know... it all sounds farfetched, but the last person who collected the Dragon Balls became King! Just like that! He obviously wished for it, but the Dragon Balls flew off to the ends of the Earth after they were used, leaving li'l me to bring them back together after so many centuries!" Bulma stood up with a giggle. "And I've already settled on a wish, too! At first I wanted a lifetime supply of strawberries, but now I think I'm gonna go for a super-cute boyfriend!!"

"... mm, hm..." the girl sighed. "Well, I'll leave you to your little fantasies, then. I'm gone."

"Wait!" Bulma pleaded as the girl turned to leave. "We... uhm, we can use them to find your brother!"

"..." the girl turned back around to look at Bulma. "... you DO realize that there's hardly any proof that this 'Eternal Dragon' even exists, right?"

"You've never been on an adventure before, have you? C'mon, the fun's all about seeing if it IS true! So are you comin' with or not?"

"... fine..." the girl relented. "I guess I AM just a little bit curious to see if this Dragon's real or not..."

Bulma smiled as she placed the two Dragon Balls back into her pouch. Perfect! She's strong enough to be an ideal bodyguard. And she doesn't need to know that the Dragon Balls only grant ONE wish!! "All righty then! Let the adventure begin!"

"Okay... but how are we going to find the rest of them, exactly?" the girl asked, as she and Bulma exited the ruins of the laboratory.

"Easy... with this!" Bulma presented the compass-like device to the girl. "It's the Dragon Radar! I noticed that the Balls give off a faint electromagnetic pulse, so I invented this! See, these two in the center are the ones I have now, and the next closest is about a hundred miles northwest!"

"Not bad..." the girl remarked. "You're not only cute, but smart too."

"Oooh, I'm much more than cute..." Bulma replied smugly. "By the way, what's your name?"

"..." the girl sighed softly, turning her head. "... I don't have one."

Bulma blinked. "Huh?"

"Not one I can remember, anyhow... only a number." she glanced up at Bulma. "... Eighteen."

"... oh..." Bulma cocked her head. Wow, and I thought MY parents were weird to name me after bloomers! But it makes sense... she must be this "18th" the computer... activated... oh my God, she must be one of Dr. Gero's experiments in biocybernetics! "Well... my name's.... Bulma."

"Ah... okay," Eighteen nodded.

"... you're... not gonna poke fun at my name?" queried Bulma.

"I don't have a real name of my own. So who am I to judge?"

"Hm, yeah... that would bring ANYONE down..." Bulma pulled out her Dynocapsule case and extracted one marked with the number 9. She then paused, smiling. "I know! I think we should call you by a more normal name! How about... 'Teena?'"

"'Teena?'" Eighteen blinked.

"Yeah, 'Teena!' A shorter, feminine abbreviation of 'Eighteen!'"

"..." Eighteen turned away, head lowered... an action that gave Bulma pause.

"... you don't like it..." Bulma dreaded.

"... on the contrary..." Eighteen turned to face Bulma with the first smile she had seen from the normally emotional-as-ice girl. "... I love it."

"Awesome!" Bulma cheered, tossing the Dynocap to the ground, manifesting a slick custom-built motorcycle from it. "Let's go then!"

Eighteen... the newly christened Teena... cocked her head as Bulma mounted the bike. Then shrugged as she sat down behind her, and the two girls rode off towards the northwest.

---

Taken from the biography "Digital Angel" by Bulma Briefs:

Granted, it was a rough start to our friendship. I made a promise to Teena... that I would help her find her brother... that I had no intentions of keeping; I admit it, back then I was very selfish. I like to think I've outgrown that by now. And Teena, fresh out of the stasis pod, was very impersonal... still tied somewhat to the whole "killing machine" programming that Dr. Gero encoded into her.

Ten minutes into our journey though, a bit of the Teena we now know shone through when she saved my life for the first time...

---

"GYAAHH!!!!" Bulma screamed as she and Teena jumped a hill on the motorcycle, flying a good twenty feet before landing hard, skidding to a halt. "... whew...!"

"Wow, that was one steep hill..." remarked Teena, turning around back at it.

"Y-yeah... almost like flying, huh...?" Bulma said, as her heart beat rapidly from the thrill. She then blinked, feeling a familiar fullness in her abdomen. "Oop... uh, 'scuse me for a sec..."

"Hm?" Teena cocked her head curiously as Bulma dismounted from the motorcycle, then realized what Bulma was eluding to, nodding. "Oh, right... I'll wait then."

"Thanks! Won't take long!" Bulma quickly ran into a thicket of bushes nearby, and Teena sighed, propping her feet up on the handlebars, resting her head under her hands as she stared up at the sky.

Going to the little girls' room... she mused. How long has it been since I've done that? God, how long has it been since I've even eaten? Or drank anything?! She sighed softly, placing a hand over her chest. I don't need to do any of that to survive now. All the energy I need... or ever WILL need... is all in the power core that old bastard Gero stuck in me... I don't even need to sleep anymore, too. A look of worriment crossed Teena's brow as dread crept into her. ... what if he took away my ability to dream...?! I don't remember dreaming when I was in the pod... God, if he did that to me, I swear I'll kill that son of a--

Teena's train of thought was suddenly derailed as she heard Bulma's scream of fright echo through the air. She quickly got up out of the motorcycle's seat in time to see a pterodactyl fly off with a shrieking Bulma in its clutches.

"What a catch!!" the pterodactyl growled. "It's been far too long since I've tasted human female flesh!"

Bulma screamed louder, tears streaming down her face as it spoke of her impending fate. No! It can't end like this!! I'm only sixteen! I don't want to be eaten by an overgrown flying lizard--!!

"Hey, Rodan."

The pterodactyl and Bulma paused, seeing Teena... floating in the air right in front of them, arms crossed as she shot her cold stare at the dinosaur.

"... y-you can fly...?!" Bulma gasped.

"Humans can't fly!!" bellowed the pterodactyl. "What ARE you?!"

"Like you said... not human." Teena raised her hand towards the monster much like what she had done with Bulma before. Only now energy crackled about her fingers, a glowing white ball of pure power forming from her palm. "You seem to speak just fine, so how about letting her go. Or else we'll be learning a new word. Can you say 'extinct?'"

"... E-extinct?!" stammered the dinosaur.

Teena smiled darkly. "I knew that you could."

"Gah... fine, I'll just settle for a tiger to eat! CATCH!!" The pterodactyl released Bulma unceremoniously, letting her plummet as it hastily retreated from Teena.

"Power Blitz."

Teena projected the burst of energy from her palm, striking the dinosaur from behind, shattering its body in an explosion of fried blood, cooked flesh, and burnt bones. She then glanced down at Bulma, falling towards the ground. Teena considered just letting her hit... that way she could just go off on her own to find her brother. She really didn't care about the Dragon Balls. She really didn't care about Bulma, either... she could have just let the dinosaur eat her alive...

"... damn."

Teena suddenly swooped down, grabbing Bulma under her arms just before she struck the ground below.

"Gotcha..." Teena managed a small smile. "You okay, Bulma?"

"OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!!" Bulma screamed. "I-I JUST PEED MY PANTS!!"

"... at least you're still alive, you know."

"Small comfort..." complained Bulma with a whimper.

"..." Teena dropped Bulma to the ground, now just a mere foot below her. Bulma landed on her backside with a yelp as Teena landed gracefully to her feet, walking away.

"Hey! What'd you do THAT for?!" Bulma shouted.

"The NEXT time you get in trouble don't expect me to save you!!" Teena snapped back. "You're an ungrateful little bitch! Wise up or else you're gonna end up dead! Either by something like that lizard. Or by me! GOT IT?!"

"..." Bulma whimpered softly, sniffling... then nodded slowly.

"... good." Teena turned back around, walking towards the motorcycle. "I'll let you get changed... try not to get killed doing THAT, would you?"

"..." Bulma slowly sat up, glaring at the departing Teena. "... takes a bitch to know one..." she hissed back under her breath.

---

Afterwards, little was said between Bulma and Teena. Bulma had decided to set up a Dynocap house for the night, and despite the general dislike between them, Bulma had convinced Teena to stay the night with her.

"Not bad..." Teena muttered, looking around. "Dynocapsules have come a long way in twelve years."

"Well, my dad WAS the one who invented them..." Bulma stated.

"Good for him..." Teena glanced over to the futon. "... only one bed, I see."

"It's not like I planned to have someone tag along like you, you know... this IS strictly a one-person house."

"Whatever... it's not like I need to sleep, anyhow."

"... Oh, so you think you're better than us lowly humans? Is that it?!"

"..." Teena remained silent, leaving Bulma's taunting query unanswered as she sat down in front of the television and switched it on.

"No way... you're not shutting me out here!" Bulma stood in front of the TV, glaring at Teena. "Answer me! ARE you better than us?!"

"Don't you mean, 'better than you?'" Teena retorted. "In that case, hell yeah. You're a stuck-up, self-centered rich bratbitch who's so hung up on her own eccentricies to think of anyone other than herself."

"Look who's talking!!" snapped Bulma. "Ever since I got you out of that... that... whatever it was you've been nothing but an ice queen! You've been nothing but... but harsh! And hurtful!!"

"Good! The truth's SUPPOSED to hurt!" Teena stood up. "Face facts... the real reason you can't get a boyfriend, that you want to wish for one, is standing right in front of me! Yeah, you're pretty and smart and that should be enough right there, but you come off as her Royal Bitchiness and that most obviously have put EVERYONE who ever considered dating you off!!"

"... y-you..." Bulma was flabbergasted. "You can't talk like that to me!!"

"Funny, 'cause I just did!"

"... y-... y-you..." Bulma was speechless, unable to think of anything to retort against Teena.

"I'm not better than anyone else, anyhow..."

Bulma blinked, confused by the sudden change of mood. "... huh...?"

Teena walked away from Bulma. "... I'm a cyborg. Fifty percent of me is biomechanical. I'm stronger. Faster. Smarter. And tougher than a normal human. The power core in my chest runs on an unlimited source of energy. I don't need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe to live. I'm essentially immortal."

"... sounds like it's all 'better than us' to me..."

"It's not. My cybernetics keep me from aging. I don't know how old I am anymore... Gero wiped my mind so I can't remember anything of my past. But the bottom line is that I'm going to live virtually forever. I'm going to outlive you... and everyone else." Teena walked towards the door, but stopped, looking back at Bulma with a very sad gaze.

"It scares the hell out of me," she added with a hint of finality.

She turned back around, exiting the house and leaving a perplexed Bulma not knowing what to think.

Teena looked out at the night sky, at the stars above. Then sighed sadly, pushing herself off the ground and flying away.

---

Taken from the biography "Digital Angel" by Bulma Briefs:

While Teena left to clear the air between us, I laid in bed wide awake, thinking about what she said. Sure, I was still angry at her for calling me a bitch but after thinking about it, I realized that perhaps, her hang-ups were worse than mine. I mean, here I was, worried that I'll never get a boyfriend despite how beautiful I was. And then there's Teena, who can't remember her past, the only family that she can remember was missing, and she was afraid of her own immortality. Thinking about it, I realized I had it easy compared to her... it was Teena whose life was irrevocably ruined. And here I was, lying to her that I'd help her find her brother.

I ended up feeling about five levels lower than pond scum. And I despised Teena even more for making me feel that way about myself.

So I decided that we should go out separate ways; I packed up and left before Teena returned... we'd be better off that way, I believed. She could find her brother, and I could continue on my merry way, too.

At least... that was the plan...

---

Bulma checked the Dragon Radar as she sat in the seat of her motorcycle. Then looked up from it, seeing an old Oriental-style cabin out in the middle of virtually nowhere. "Wow, how rustic..." she remarked. "But there IS a Dragon Ball inside!" With an elated giggle she put the Radar away and revved up the motorcycle, riding off towards it. Once getting there she dismounted, walking towards the door.

"Hm... doesn't seem to be anyone home..." Bulma said to herself, looking around. "Abandoned... oh, well. Saves me the trouble of asking anyone to..." Bulma paused as a shadow loomed over her. Cautiously turning around, she looked up, seeing a huge bear clad in bandit's armor, a mohawk on its head and its left eye scarred and blind.

"Friend of the old man, are you?" the bear thief growled, drawing his huge scimitar.

"W-wha?!" Bulma gasped, reaching over, her hands shaking as she went for her gun.

"You better be pulling that out just to drop it to the ground..." the bear thief warned. "I can cleave you in two even before you get a shot off!"

Trembling, Bulma unholstered the gun, tentatively dropping it to the side. "I-I don't know any old man..." she whimpered.

"Is that so... well, that's all fine and good, I'll just rob you, then!" The bear thief leered at Bulma in a mix of lust and hunger. "Strip, girl."

Bulma blinked. "W-what--?!"

"I can search your clothes easier when you're not wearing them... and if you don't have anything I want, I can eat you without worrying about getting any clothing stuck between my teeth!"

"... what is it about big disgusting beasts and wanting to eat pretty girls, anyhow?!"

"It's fun and sadistic... plus human female flesh is delicious, too. Now, get to it! I don't want to see a stitch of clothing on you!!"

"Not so quick, Kuma!!"

Both Bulma and the bear thief paused, turning around to see a rotund old man, possibly in his mid-to-late eighties, a thick bushy moustache on his face as he held a crimson staff in his hands, standing ready for battle.

"How bold of you, Kuma... attacking a pretty girl on my property..." the old man gripped his staff. "Maybe you should be moving along now..."

"Maybe I should... for now..." Kuma sheathed his blade, tentatively backing off. "... but you and I both know you can't play hero forever!!" And with that, the bear thief turned tail, retreating from the old man and Bulma.

"... you saved me..." Bulma smiled as the old man approached her. "Thank you..."

"Ah, just doing the right thing, is all... a vile monster, that Kuma is... robbing people blind, sometimes eating them if he's hungry or bored... but right now, my manners are certainly lacking!" The old man bowed. "Son Gohan, at your service. And you are..."

"Oh, uhm... Bulma Briefs..."

"Briefs, eh? Your daddy's the CEO of Capsule Corporation!"

"That's right! How did you--"

"Just because I'm an old hermit doesn't mean I'm blind to civilization... but you're a long way from West City, my dear..." Son Gohan entered his cabin, stepping aside to allow Bulma in. "Please, enter."

"Thanks... and you're right, I am a long way from West City, and for good reason, too..." she entered the cabin, pulling out her two Dragon Balls. "I'm collecting the other five of these."

"Ahh, I see..." Son Gohan nodded sagely. "And is there a reason why you wish to summon the Eternal Dragon, child?"

"Uh, well... to find a boyfriend, really..." admitted Bulma, as she blushed.

"An unusual wish... but at least it isn't for something more sinister..." Son Gohan walked to a dresser drawer, opening it and fishing out a familiar orange sphere, this one with four stars glowing within.

"Ah, the Four Star Dragon Ball! Awesome!" Bulma then paused, cocking an eyebrow. "Wait, you're just giving this to me? What's the catch?"

"No catch..." Son Gohan sat down into a chair with a tired sigh. "Kuma was right when he said I can't play hero forever. I'm dying, child... but I've lived a rich and full life. I've no regrets... though I wish I had... oh, I don't know, a grandson..." he smiled thoughtfully. "In any case... I'd rather give the Four Star Dragon Ball to a girl with romance in her heart than have it stolen by a ruffian like Kuma. I've always been a softie for young ladies like you."

"..." Bulma stared at the Four Star Dragon Ball as Son Gohan handed it to her. "... you seem like a wise old man, I guess... so... uhm..."

"Yes?" asked Son Gohan.

"It'd be self-centered of me to just wish for a boyfriend when someone else may need the wish more. Wouldn't it?"

"Hmm..." Son Gohan pondered the question thoughtfully. "How old are you, young lady?"

"Sixteen."

"Then you have plenty of time to grow up, become older and wiser... child, you don't need something as omnipotent as the Eternal Dragon to find love. Love will find you. It may take a while for it to happen, but when it does, you'll know. You'll feel it in your heart and your soul."

"Are you sure?"

"I know I am... Bulma, trust me. In some things, sometimes you just got to let nature take its course." Son Gohan paused, then tackled Bulma to the ground. "LOOK OUT!!" Suddenly a rush of wind rushed through the cabin, and slowly the upper half of it slid away, crashing to the outside.

"Show yourself, you old fool!" Kuma was heard to bellow. "No more stalemates! We finish this! Then I get the girl and everything else that's coming to me!!"

"He's got his confidence back up faster than normal... all right, we'll indeed finish this." Son Gohan picked up his staff, dusting himself off. "Bulma, stay here... out there is no place for a young lady right now."

Bulma nodded. "B-be careful..."

Son Gohan looked down to Bulma, smiling sadly. He then exited his destroyed home, picking up speed in his movements as he charged towards the waiting Kuma.

"DIE!!" Kuma screamed as he swung his scimitar at Son Gohan, but the old man showed surprising nimbleness, leaping behind the much larger foe as he readied his staff.

"Nyoibo! Extend!!" The crimson staff suddenly projected outward as Son Gohan swung it, tripping Kuma to the ground, then using it to vault himself into the air, drawing back his hands--

"KA... ME... HA... ME... HAAA!!!!"

--and he fired off a spectacular beam of chi from his outstretched palms directly at Kuma, who rolled out of the way of the attack. "You left yourself wide open, old fool!" Kuma jumped to his his feet, swinging the sword directly at the descending Son Gohan. "IT'S OVER!!"

The blade was suddenly stopped before it could cut Son Gohan, and Kuma blinked, seeing his weapon in-between the slender hands of a beautiful cornsilk-tressed woman clad in blue denim, floating in mid-air.

"What the hell?!" Kuma exclaimed.

Son Gohan landed safely, blinking in surprise. "A flying girl?"

"TEENA?!?" Bulma swiftly recognized.

Teena glanced at Bulma with an indifferent look, then turned towards Kuma. "Mr. Ruxpin, I presume. My, how the mighty have fallen..." she spoke with a dry sarcasm.

"You dare mock me?!" growled Kuma.

"Yes... yes, I do..." Teena smirked. "I should do it more often, I like it."

"Then I'm going to eat you alive, girl!!"

"..." Teena cocked her head, then released Kuma's sword and landed to the ground. "Somehow that irks me in a way I cannot fully comprehend."

"You think I'm scared of you?!" screamed Kuma. "GET IN MY BELLY!!!"

"No."

Kuma charged towards Teena with a roar, and she jumped back, avoiding his lunges almost effortlessly. "Stand still!! Stand still and let me eat you!!"

"I'm not even going explain how stupid that sounded." Teena avoided another lunge, then spun about and grabbed Kuma by the waist, twisting around to fling him with ease into a mountain wall.

"The girl's deceptively strong..." Son Gohan observed. An idea forming in his head, he took his Nyoibo, preparing to hurl it like a javelin. "Young lady, CATCH!" Son Gohan threw it to Teena, and she caught it, staring at it curiously. "Use the Nyoibo, child! It can grow on command! Use it to send Kuma away!"

"Hmm..." Teena smiled, then readied herself, pointing the Nyoibo outward. "Okay! GROW!!" And it projected outward at an astonishing length, catching Kuma in the gut. Teena then lifted the bear up in the air with the Nyoibo, swinging the staff and flinging Kuma many yards away from her, Bulma, and Son Gohan.

"Teena... y-you did it!" Bulma stood up, a look of relief and surprise on her face.

"Remarkable!" Son Gohan approached Teena as she retracted the length of the Nyoibo and handed it back to him. "You're a very strong young lady... I doubt Kuma would want to show his face around here now that he knows he was bested by a woman!"

"Thanks..." Teena nodded to Son Gohan, then glanced over to Bulma. "You know, I spent a good long time looking for you. I wasted seven hours of my life that I'll never get back, thanks to you."

"Uh... well, too bad!" retorted Bulma. "Who said you COULD find me, huh? Maybe I didn't WANT to be found!!"

"Ah, well thank you, and a THOUSAND pardons, your Royal Pain-In-The-Highness! You know maybe you would've figured out BY NOW that I WANTED to find you! Because, oh well I don't know, I was actually WORRIED?!"

"Well... uh... m-maybe you worried over NOTHING then! I can take care of myself!!"

"Oh, yeah! I noticed the whole 'cowering-in-fear-from-the-big-hungry-teddy-bear' reaction you were doing!"

"Ladies, ladies!!" Son Gohan stopped the arguing between Bulma and Teena, getting in-between them. "Really, the way the two of you are bickering on, people would think you were a married couple in a past life! Now surely the two of you can find some common ground, something the two of you can agree on!"

"Well... there IS the whole Dragon Ball thing..." Teena admitted.

"Good, good! Now surely then you would want the same thing Bulma wants..."

"..." Bulma blinked. "Eep."

"... a boyfriend?"

"What?" Teena blinked. "No, I want to find my brother."

"Ah... so Bulma didn't tell you that Shenlong grants only one wish, then."

"..." Teena turned her head towards Bulma, her icy stare somehow feeling five times below it's usual absolute zero. "... you... selfish little bitch..."

"Okay, okay! So I might've... forgotten about that... a little..." Bulma stammered, holding her hands up in a "please-don't-kill-me" gesture. "But I-I've been thinking anyhow t-that maybe your needs are m-more important than mine! S-so I can be boyfriend-less for a-another year, okay?! W-we'll use them to look for your b-brother first! O-okay?!!"

"Well?" Son Gohan looked to Teena. "What say you?"

"That'll work..." Teena accepted, still bearing a distrusting stare at Bulma. "But you better not double-cross me, Bulma. I promise you you won't live long enough to regret it."

Bulma gulped, then nodded dejectedly. "... I won't betray you..." she said softly.

---

Taken from the biography "Digital Angel" by Bulma Briefs:

And that's how Teena and I met... we didn't like each other at all at first, but as time moved on we came to understand each other more. We grew as erstwhile allies, and to this day, we're the best of friends. Sure, we still argue from time to time, but most best friends do.

We never saw Son Gohan again after that day. Shortly after the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai where Teena defeated Piccolo we heard he had passed on. His teacher, Master Roshi, said he passed away in his sleep, while his fellow student, the Ox King, said a giant monster stepped on him. In any case, I think it's safe to say that Son Gohan's dead as a doornail. ;

---

So much has gone on since I released Teena from that stasis pod years ago. And Teena has changed a lot since then; sure, she's still cynical at times to those who deserve her verbal venom, but at the same time, she's become selfless. She has dedicated her life to helping others, whether it's through her remarkable strength and speed, donating countless zenie towards charities either directly or through her clothing line, annual swimsuit issues, or other merchandise.

Back then I wondered if I had made the right decision freeing Teena. Now as I type this, I know I did.

Teena is a digital angel, cast down from Heaven to protect us from evil.

And I am proud of my best friend. Forever and always.

--TO BE CONTINUED.