The Heart of the Adventurers

By LastationLover5000 and Demod20, Edited by Firegod00

Chapter 4 - Another Day Of Our Lives

Last time, on Dragon Ball: Heart of the Adventurers: After one year of separation, Bulma and Son Goku were reunited. Feelings emerged and were confessed by the young heiress of Capsule Corp to the childhood friend of hers. Not pushed away but accepted thanks to the rare bond they hold, wishing to learn the meaning of love for himself, Bulma proposes they marry. When the young couple have their day under the sun, Yamcha comes to stop the proceedings only to fail to stop Goku's desire to make Bulma happy. After sharing a tender first kiss the newlyweds begin their journey in learning what it means to truly be entwined as one.

And now, the Adventure continues!

Son Goku felt great. It was just one of many words he could use to describe the feelings he was having. Ever since being married to Bulma he was introduced to a myriad of new sensations that he himself had never thought possible. All of these came under the unusual need for privacy for which he desired to share with others but was insisted not doing so. Coming from a man who had never kissed before when he finally did so his awareness of his masculinity was made known to him in the bedroom.

Which is where he was at this very moment. Under the covers he was snuggled up against his beautiful wife, her head nestling underneath his neck with her lower body partially draped over his. Under the sheets they were as bare as they day were born but with them layered over their skin they had the looks of a true couple. Bulma smiled, still in her dreams, partially from the passionate night she had spent with her lover. Goku's more playful smile was wide and open, a blush played across his neck up to his cheeks as he still recounted the last night and many nights they spent.

"Can't believe it's been six months already," He thought with a turn of his head, seeing the tiniest glimpses of Sunlight beginning to peter through the window. Despite its curtains his body already told him what time it was, and no alarm clock or blinds could stop that. The only chagrin he had was that he had to pry himself away from his soft, warm bed that his wife presided within.

He had to do so delicately, remembering the last time he accidentally roused her. He had received a good thrashing for waking her up, not to mention she whined that he was leaving bed so early. But after awhile the two had agreed this was his routine without him having the urge to run to the mountains. He had to get his exercise somehow.

After untying the last leg and arm from Bulma's sleep ridden form, he tip-toed across the carpeted bedroom and reached for his nearest affects. Having been forced to be accustomed to civilian attire instead of wearing the same gis he always had, he found that a particular colored pair of garments were to his liking.

One of the changes of apparel he found was perfect for the situation. Pulling over a black sleeveless muscle shirt that conformed to his very apparent muscular build he pulled up a pair of boxers that went under his orange slacks. With white and black tennis shoes fitted over his feet he felt that he was dignified enough to start his morning routine. A routine that he has practiced and perfected over the course of the last half year.

After stuffing a healthy snack down his gullet to help wake himself up, he settled on the front lawn of Capsule Corp. Stretching out, he'd follow up with one hundred push-ups and sit-ups. Lastly he drank a liter of juice that he disposed of proper on the disposal unit sitting next to the curb of the driveway.

"Okay! I feel ready to tackle the day!" He exclaimed, breaking out into what any athlete would call a sprint and what Son Goku considered a casual jog. His body rushed through the wind, his feet beat the asphalt as his form took upon the current of a galloping beast. A smile fixated on his face as his arms were kept close to his chest while his breath was quick and shallow.

Despite not going at full speed it was an exhilarating experience for the married martial artist. The feeling of the wind lapping at his skin, his clothes flapping against his body and the light feather touch his soles made against the ground as he made record speeds around the waking metropolis. From his perspective the birds' wings were lazily flapping in the air, the sprinklers on lawns were spitting dots of water at a laid back pace, and the woodpecker against a tree was knocking against the bark one beat at a time.

Since he saw only a minimal traffic downtown, both on the sidewalk that he avoided and the street he currently tread he decided to check his leg strength. Without skipping a beat he halted his momentum just for a moment the Martial Art Champion bent his knees and jumped up. His iconic hair flourished about his scalp as the air rushed past his cheeks and howled against his ears. Slowing down when he could see low floating clouds just a hairsbreadth above his head he took the time to look down at the city from high above.

With the rising Sun now passing up the horizon the metal and concrete dominated populated center gleamed and refracted the rays like a mesmerizing painting. Monorails passing through the busy city looked like glistening lines from the height he was floating at. Cars were nothing but dots, with people all but disappeared into the vista that Western Capital has created from his bird's eye view. A giggle escaped his throat at the beautiful picture that was forged from his vantage point, almost disbelieving he lived in such a densely lived area of the world.

"Ahhhhh," Goku sighed out loud with a broad smile on his face. "I never get tired of the view. Maybe I can get some aerial practice. Maybe after that I can head back and see how's Bulma is doing."

After announcing his game plan out loud, the casually dressed man closed his eyes and emptied his mind. He was no longer in the heavens or on planet Earth. An empty void filled his inner eye, allowing him to gauge his new found training ground. It was a technique Kami had taught him during his time spent on God's Palace. A form of training that so much as didn't rely on sparring with a living being but with incorporeal ones given shape with focus and calming oneself.

Image Training.

Opening his eyes he turned to see the first of his opponents rush at him. He was the infamous Jackie Chun, an opponent he had never forgotten for barring his path to being Champion of the Tenkaichi Budōkai the first time he participated. The older man of stark grey hair on top and a white fanciful beard that looked reminiscent of his master, the Turtle Hermit.

Dodging the first punch that he swore almost nicked his cheek he returned in kind with a left jab that was blocked easily by the shorter man. When he replied with a leaping spin kick Goku thought quickly and ducked low, allowing the attack to hit nothing but air. Rising up he put all of his might into a concussive uppercut, driving his knuckles into his chin and sending him soaring up into the empty abyss ceiling.

As he created an impeccable twinkling star, he narrowly leaped to his right to avoid a downward chop by another rival of his. Tenshinhan, born to the Three Eyed Clan was the unnatural yet talented martial artist who at one point wished to kill him but now just desires to be his equal. The Crane and Turtle Schools had been at odds for awhile but they were the first generation to form a bond of friendly rivalry rather than hostile grudges.

When the taller bald man flung forward the Turtle Schooler raised his guard and deflected the majority of the finger jabs and cross-hand strikes. Unlike his own style that focused extreme strength through minimal swift contact he admired the precise and calculated attacks of his opponent. Witnessing a second pair of arms erupt from his shoulders by a mere flex, Goku felt himself forced to take serious action.

In a burst of intense speed he left an after-image, cartwheeling to the right before leaping in a vaulting jump that spun over his head. Kicking off the air once more he drove a hard elbow strike to the three eyed man's turned head, knocking him out cold and sending him sprawling to the floor of the abyss room he had created. He had to collect his breath at witnessing that re-imagined rematch, though he wondered if he had him perfectly represented or not.

That thought was soon lost to him as a haunting chuckle emanated from behind. Turning around he felt his blood boil and his eyes glare at his cruel faced target. Endowed with the body of a bi-pedal dragon, the abhorrent spawn of Piccolo the Great Demon King, Tambourine stood not but a handful of meters away. The green scaled monster was responsible for killing many martial artists, including his own best friend Krillin.

Not even indulging the subconscious manifestation of his former enemy a moment to prepare, Goku shouted out as he careened towards him. He pictured a look of horror on his face just before his fist wedged into his skull and caved it inwards in a messy display of ferocity. Leaving the villain headless in his wake, he turned around to stew in his hatred of the being that had caused so much heartache and suffering in his wake.

But there was one person that caught his attention, someone of most recent worth. Raising his eyes from the dissipating shroud that was his last opponent's corpse was the reincarnation of the Great Demon King, Piccolo. A predatory smile spread across the man who called himself Majunior in their first match since his last life's end. An unnatural excitement bubbled within him, the eagerness to do battle with this fierce warrior. Even as an image in his mind he felt powerful, causing him to raise his Ki to his maximum just as his enemy did within the landscape of his mind.

Losing track of time, he crashed into his foe with the utmost intensity he could muster. Fists, feet, legs, arms, knees, elbows and even heads crashed against each other to perform as much damage as possible. All the while, a synonymous look of pleasure was shared between the two. Amidst the gritting teeth and glares sent through both fighters' eyes, they were enjoying themselves. The yearning to fight the real thing only further propelled him to continue his mock battle. As that happened, his real body seeming to hang in the air motionless while any observant onlooker with proper viewing devices could look up and ponder why there is a person floating in the sky.

"Ooooooooooh," Bulma rolled over on the bed, feeling an unnatural queasiness she wasn't used to. Blinking her eyes to clear the blurriness in her vision, she felt as much as saw the absence of her husband. Sighing through her nostrils she knew what time it must have been if he was already out and about. Sitting herself up she clung to the sheets as she slipped into nearby bunny slippers to shield her feet from the unwelcome cold.

Shuffling across the room she had to steady herself as another convulsion in her stomach caused her to feel a sudden dizzy spell. Braced against the closet door she had to take a few inhales before calming herself, groaning at the sudden sickness. She remembered last night she was healthy and had no signs of coming down with something. She could only wonder what was causing this bout of nausea.

"Not to mention this has been reoccurring for the past week, on and off," Bulma thought groggily as she put on something half decent. Due to today being a weekend she didn't feel pressured on working on any particular project other than reviews for her quantum physics hypothesis. Remembering she left her laptop in the kitchen, she glanced at a mirror where one of her clothing cabinets was.

She had to admire her current look. She had grown out her bangs so it rested over her brows, her hair long enough to frame her face while being neatly kept all the way around her scalp. While it was a little frayed she liked how she could look good even when waking up. Tying her blue robe over her relatively unclothed body, she shuffled out of her room with a yawn till she reached the kitchen.

There she saw her father, already in his lab coat with coffee in his left hand. Smelling the freshly brewed liquid from down the hall made her crave some beaned goodness. Wordlessly she shuffled past her father as he read the newspaper, mostly talk about the weather and local sports teams, missing the turn of his head to notice her not so subtle arrival.

"Morning, Bulma," Dr. Brief greeted his daughter, earning a halfhearted backwards wave as she reached for the pot and began filling up a mug. "How did you sleep?"

"Oh, I slept good alright," Bulma wryly smirked, remembering just how energetic she was with her lover. It brought a blush to her face just thinking about it, but the curdling of her stomach erased any thoughts of good feelings. Moaning out she sipped her coffee gingerly, hoping that her life blood wouldn't be the end of her. "But I think I have some bug in my system..."

"Oh? You have a flu?" Dr. Brief turned around, looking worried but only partially. His casual demeanor often suffered from the ability to project a truly distressed emotion. Still, the feeling wasn't missed, and Bulma shook her head as she kept slurping up her warm mug.

"I dunno. I just woke up feeling queasy and this isn't the first time," She mumbled behind her glass, gulping a quarter of it before waddling her way to sit beside him. Opening up her device she booted it up while rubbing her nose, showing that she was stressed. "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. One moment I'm right as rain, ready to take on the world. Next moment I feel like if I eat or do anything too much I'll keel over and hurl up my insides."

"Huh, that is interesting," The father of one stroked his mustache soberly. Casting a glance at his daughter whom was about to enter her program while sipping on her coffee he had a thought. Grinning he cleared his throat and called out loud. "Panchy! Bulma thinks she's sick with something. Could you lend me your womanly intuition to detect the issue?"

"Dad, I don't think-"

"Now-Now, sweetie. I'm sure your mother may be a bit more knowledgeable as such things. I rarely have gotten sick in my life so perhaps she can advise you on what you have," Dr. Brief gently chided, watching his daughter resign with a roll of her eyes. Smiling at his words having some affect on her, he looked up to see Panchy, dressed like she was cleaning the home interior. "Ah, there you are my dear."

"Of course I am, sweet pea. I live here," Panchy cleverly quipped with a giggle, earning a chuckle from her husband. Lowering her head to look at Bulma, her eyes opened and blinked a few times with surprise. "Well you don't look too spry today. What are ya coming down with, my angel?"

"Ugh," Bulma lowered her head, feeling herself gag at another weird convulsion on her insides. "I...I really don't know. Sometimes, like, for the past week I've been dealing with this weird on and off nausea. I'm great one moment and then totally wishing I was the next. I can't make it out what it is."

"Ohhhhhh," The blonde woman mulled out, now with a twinkling smile on her face.

"What?" The lavender haired girl looked up at her mother dubiously, her hands unconsciously typing on her computer without her eyes ever making contact with the screen.

"Mhm, I think you should test yourself, honey," She implied with a wink, pointing to her belly for emphasis. "Just to be sure, you know?"

Blinking a few times, she tried to process what was said. It only took a handful of seconds before she mentally dissected her mother's words. Blushing fiercely, she let out a barking groan before turning to look at her laptop's screen, "Mom, I'm busy. I doubt it's something like...like that!"

"Oh, then what do you think's been making you ill?" Panchy asked with genuine curiosity.

"Your propensity of being nosy," She muttered under her breath, still steaming at the insinuation her mother made.

"What was that?" She inquired coyly, only making her daughter groan as she flopped her head around in a circle.

"Fine, I'll check myself out if it makes you happy. Can you leave me alone with my coffee now, ma-...ma...hurgh!" Bulma exclaimed after dryly retorting to her mother. Reaching to cover her mouth her face lit up with a very sickly pale color. Pushing off the table she ran sloppily with her slippers past her mother and towards the nearest restroom. When she closed the door behind her, both parents could hear loud retching sounds, causing the mother to cringe while the father just sighed.

"I think it's happening, don't you think?" Dr. Brief vaguely questioned his wife for confirmation.

"Oh yes. I remember being sick like that a long time ago. Poor thing," Panchy shook her head, cupping her hands below her chin.

Flushing the toilet, Bulma busied herself with washing her face, already feeling a bit better now that she had thrown up whatever contents was making her feel sick. Still dizzy, she stared at the mirror after drying her face off. She felt worse than she looked and wished that her man was here to keep her company while going through this.

"Well, he'll show up sooner or later. His stomach will call him back home after all," She thought with a sigh, turning around to give herself a shower. Cleaning away the grime of yesterday while warming her body sounded marvelous and she set out to grab some clothes to wear properly. Not even bothering to go towards the kitchen she shuffled to her room and back to the dual-purpose restroom, shutting the door and locking it before she fully undressed and entered the shower.

Feeling the droplets of water soak her voluptuous body's smooth skin felt heavenly and did wonders to cure her of her immediate queasiness. She smiled as her body warmed up with moistened skin and her hair dampened against her scalp. Rubbing her body with a soapy scrubber, she was determined to be as clean as she was inviting to her husband. After all, with his sense of smell, she didn't want to leave any part of her undesirable.

"I wonder what kind of trouble you've gotten into today, Son," She mused out loud as she scrubbed her bosom thoughtfully as her shower continued to wipe away the filth and warm her body.

"Whew, that was a workout," Goku thought out loud to himself, wiping his brow after he had finished his Image Training. He had been so invested with his mock battle that he didn't realize just how high the Sun was at this point. Realizing with a stark few winks before wincing at the glare, he looked down at the city and found himself hissing through his teeth. He knew that he might have spent hours just visualizing a fight but the mental toll was shared to his body.

Before he could wonder what time it was, his stomach growled out like thunder to answer him in kind.

"Haha, I guess it's lunchtime!" He admitted with a laugh, rubbing his belly while scratching the back of his head nervously. Scouring for a good place to spot he looked at an open spot of concrete way down in the city. Knowing practically every angle of the Western Capital like the back of his hand from his time spent 'jogging' through it, he knew that if he got back to the ground he'd know which way back to Capsule Corporation.

Descending downward with as much speed as he launched himself up, Goku arrived at the given spot in what seemed like several heartbeats. With as much control as a dancer would on a floor, his feet didn't make the slightest disturbance on the hardened surface of the street. Standing back to his full height, he looked around to get his proper bearings. Unfortunately all he could see was traffic lights in either direction, with rows of automobiles lining up either way.

It was his most unfortunate timing that the lights were green upon his touchdown back to level ground.

The nightmare began with him narrowly leaping to the side to avoid a Volkswagen from ramming into him outright. Skidding to a halt a semi put on its breaks and veered around, its long trailer spiraling several cars out of control. Back flipping to avoid a sudden motorcyclist from smashing into him, he danced awkwardly around several more min-vans from hitting him entirely.

Jumping high up out of the intersection altogether, he cringed at the sight of the fifteen car pile-up that had vehicles in all sorts of bizarre directions. Landing on the street not but thirty meters away, he sighed with relief. Looking to the side he looked at a jogger who simply gaped at Goku with surprise.

"What?" The martial artist asked the confused pedestrian.

"You just...leaped out of the middle of traffic...like it was nothing," He slowly worded out, swallowing hard with emphasis. Shakily he raised a finger at him with wide blinking eyes. "Are...are you the Champ, Son Goku?"

"Huh? You mean from the Tournament?" Goku asked for clarification, pointing to himself to cement his query.

"It IS you!" The man exclaimed with wonder and realization. After regaining his composure he cleared his throat and leaned closer with a furrowed stare aimed at him. "Why...did you just cause a major vehicle accident?"

"Uh, I just saw somewhere to land and I did," The Turtle Schooler answered lamely with a shrug. "I was just out jogging and getting some exercise. Didn't know I was going to cause any trouble to people."

"Do you always jog in the middle of the street?" The civilian asked blatantly.

"Sure. Why not?" He responded with a nonchalant tilt of his head.

"Because that's where CARS go!" He shouted with arms flailing, almost beside himself with how simpleminded such a celebrity was. Groaning, he leaned back and gestured next to himself. "Ever thought of using the sidewalk? It's much safer."

"Oh. Well, I guess I never thought about using it, haha!" Goku laughed honestly, causing the jogger to fall over on his back with a comedic trip. As an earth-quaking growl emanated from the martial artist's belly, he quickly set his sights for what he believed was the quickest route to Capsule Corp. Getting his directions right by his own senses, he waved at the back laying man and shouted over his shoulder as he took off running. "I'll take what you said in mind. See you around!"

Breaking off at record pacing that outstripped even his swift 'jogging' speed, Goku managed to tear through the air and reach his family's home in a matter of a single minute. The scent of food already wafted through the air as he skipped to the front door. Before he barged in he knew he'd better be polite and at least knock; something that Bulma had been teaching him to do in order to be a bit more 'proper' as she put it.

"Oh, c'mon in!" Cried a familiar voice from the other side, urging Goku to open the door and enter the home of his beautiful wife and her parents.

Goku opened the door, casually walking in. He had to repress a habit to kick off his shoes — when he was living with his grandfather, this was taught to him as polite etiquette. In the Western Capital, it was a tradition many had long since forgotten, and with Bulma always urging Goku to try to adapt to modernized city life, it was another new custom he was struggling to learn.

"Oh, Goku!" Dr. Brief, who had been sitting down in a chair with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, looking over to see his son-in-law casually walk in. As Goku had never been one for coffee, the elderly scientist didn't offer him a cup. "Welcome back, son! Did you have a good run?"

Goku chuckled, briefly remembering the traffic jam he'd caused only a few minutes ago. "Yeah. I wound up causing more trouble than I thought I would, but it's all patched up!"

"Well, that's good to hear," Dr. Brief replied with a musing chuckle, finding this to be a commonplace with living in a household home to the most hyperactive adult he's known. When a gurgling rumble echoed within the kitchen the father of one blinked a few times with disbelief. The sound of Goku's belly rumbling always took him off guard, something he sadly was slowly getting used to with every day. "It sounds like you came home for more than one reason, eh?"

"That's right!" Goku fist pumps, looking around to see no Bulma or 'Bulma's Mom' to cook food. Shrugging, he adapted by going towards the extra-large fridge to dish out a number of tasty easy-to-cook food. Knowing his hunger wouldn't be kept at bay for long he got a number of microwave foods to spread across the vast table, all for himself. Sitting down, he briefly gave thanks before moving his arms and hands in a blur to shove as much food into his open mouth.

The sight was so disconcerting to Dr. Brief, unfortunately being so up close to hear the sloppy slurps and crunches of his son-in-law's eating that made him sweat nervously. A loud belch echoed, followed by a meek apology to which he waved off in dismissal, sighing, he turned to look at the newspaper. When he felt Goku's shadow loom over him, he turned around and leaned back slightly out of surprise, asking Goku curiously with a tilt of his head, "Uh, is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Bulma's Dad," Goku began to say, not skipping a beat to ask the question currently occupying his mind, "did you finish that machine you said you were working on? You know, the really strong one!?"

"Well, I did manage to finish a working prototype," The inventor replied, taking a long drag on the cigarette he was smoking. "It should provide a decent sparring partner for you, but listen, there's something I need to tel-!"

For Goku, the rest of the sentence had stopped the moment Dr. Brief said that the prototype would be a 'decent sparring partner'. "Thanks, Bulma's Dad! I'll go test it out right now!"

"Son, wait!" Dr. Brief called after Goku, but by the time he'd looked down the hall, Goku had already vanished. "That boy never stops moving...forget listening to what I had to say, he didn't even ask where the prototype was."

In his haste, the Turtle Schooler almost forgot he was still wearing his work-out clothes. Rushing back to his bedroom to acquire what he considered his "butt-kicking clothes", he made back to Bulma and his living space; to which he was glad was unoccupied at the time of his arrival. Quickly, he unclothed and grabbed his hanging gi, quickly putting it on top of his body. Feeling invigorated to test himself, he rushed down the halls and began his search for the place

True to his own lack of direction, Goku circled the estate for what seemed like an hour until he was finally stopped by one of the Capsule Corporation's employees, a secretary who was very confused as to why the husband of Bulma was doing laps around his own home.

"Um, Mr. Son, is there any particular reason you're getting your m-morning exercise h-here of all places?" The woman looked nervously at him; she remembered vividly the damage Goku had caused when he attempted what he called 'image training' on Capsule Corporation grounds. The destruction was horrible, and she couldn't remembering seeing Bulma so irritated with her husband. It wasn't something she wanted to see a repeat of.

"Oh, it's you again!" Goku stopped, jogging in place as he looked at the familiar secretary. "Ms...Ms..."

"Ms. Hisoka!" The woman sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a thin finger. This was simply something she'd gotten used to; Goku could not remember her name, no matter how many times she reminded him of it. Remember that she wasn't the only victim of this, the young woman simply let it go, but could feel herself subconsciously wishing he'd at least remember half the name.

"That's it!" Goku chuckled, briefly apologizing to the exasperated woman. "Could you tell me where Bulma's dad's robot is?"

Hisoka looked at Goku with a brief expression of confusion, and it took her a few moments to understand precisely what he was asking. "Oh, do you mean the project the President was working on? He did mention something about it being for you..." Hisoka pointed to the left of the sliding glass door they were standing in front of. "Head straight down there, and enter the first building you see. The President mentioned the renovations should be complete; the robot is in its prototype stage. Mr. Son, please try not to destroy it."

There was hidden aggravation in the woman's bellchime voice that Goku didn't notice. With a grin and a word of gratitude, Goku ran off in the direction he was pointed towards.

"How does Mrs. Son put up with him...?" Hisoka sighed as she watched the man go.

Goku wound a corner like a madman, and came across a spherical building, shaped like the Capsule Corporation building, but smaller, and tinted silver with blue highlights. Goku opened the door, walking into the building and was surprised by what he saw. Despite the building not looking like much from the outside, the inside of the building seemed to be much larger than what the exterior seemed capable of holding.

"It's...It's bigger on the inside...!" Goku gaped. The entire interior was wide enough for him to have ample space to train through without feeling constrained. Even if Goku had asked Dr. Brief how this was possible, he knew he wouldn't understand it, and decided it was best to simply stop dwelling on it. When he'd finally stopped taking in the scope of the room, what truly caught Goku's attention was what stood in the center.

Gleaming with a freshly polished hue was a mechanical construct that towered over Goku by a good two feet. Rectangular in shape, the head was rather small, slightly larger than a Dragon Ball, with a red 'eye' in the center, for tracking his movements. It lacked any kind of neck, and the lower body was connected by an elastic tube, which split into two feet, enlarged and clawed. Overall, its build was huge and humanoid; Goku could hardly contain his excitement.

"T-This is it!" Goku walked over to the mecha, walking around it curiously. "Bulma's Dad actually finished it! It looks pretty strong! Now...how do I fire this baby up...?" Walking over to the center, Goku pressed his face towards the 'eye' of the mecha. Within seconds, he hear a rushing sound; gas was being emitted from the arms of the machine, and the eye began to light up.

"Analyzing...Analyzing...!" A computerized version of Dr. Brief's voice sounded from the machine.

"Oh! Is it on?!" Goku excitedly stepped an inch back.

A red laser shone from the machine, rising up Goku's body, scanning him from the feet to the tip of his spiky hair. "Analysis complete! Son Goku presence confirmed. Initiating Battle Mode." The gas emissions intensified as the robot began to rise; without any warning, the rectangular arms smashed into Goku's chest, catching the martial artist off guard and causing him to stagger back.

"Whoa...!" He coughed, trying to recover from being winded. "That thing is strong but...talk about one heck'uva sucker punch...!" Recovering quickly, Goku's eyes caught the robot rushing towards him. It thrust its arm forward again, and Goku caught the incoming punch with his fist, his eyes wide with surprise. "H-Holy crap...for such a big robot, it's certainly fast!"

"Now to counterattack!" Goku pulled the robot in closer, punching it in the center of its metallic torso, letting its "hand" go in time to send it hurtling back. Skidding along the ground, Goku sped up, jumping and slamming his foot into the side of the robot. The force, delayed only briefly, caused the machine to go careening into the wall, causing to crack, but not give, under the weight of the large appliance. As it slid to the ground, Goku noticed the wall was beginning to reconstruct itself.

"Wow! Bulma's Dad is amazing! Now I really can cut loose!"

The robot, to Goku's surprise, managed to haul itself into an upright position despite its large size. "Initiating counterattack: Propulsion Fist." The gas erupted from the pistons at the elbow of each arm, and the mechanical monstrosity was pushed forward at a speed Goku couldn't match. The fist collided with man's stomach, racking Goku with pain and causing him to crash hard into the wall opposite him.

Sliding down the quickly repairing wall, the married man got to his feet, grinning. If anything, seeing how strong this robot was only made him more excited.

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap

Bulma's finger repeatedly rapped against the table as she stared at her computer's desktop. Looking over to her right shoulder, she could envision the partially open drawer holding the contents she was tempted with. The only thing that could explain her abnormal nausea fits that she's been having so much in such a recent amount of time. Yet, she kept telling herself to ignore the impulse.

"Come on, Bulma. It's just your parents trying to make you think crazy thoughts. It's only been six months, so there really should be no way that you're...it's impossible, right?" Bulma cut herself off as she shook her head, banging her head against an upraised fist. Groaning out loud the stress to turn around and get up from her seat was only fueling her curiosity. "Is it a bad thing to just check? I mean, worst comes out of it is that you're not worrying about anything important. But..if it is..."

Sighing, she thrummed her fingers against her computer, now glaring at the segment in a science news article. It was an update about the anniversary of a once respectable scientist going under ground after spouting some nonsense at a convention demonstration. But the words soon began to change out with another, switching for letters that suggested something entirely different. Most of all, her mind now as more crazed about doing it than earlier.

With a loud wailing moan, Bulma stood up with a huff while slamming her palms on the desk. The rattling top halted when her feet clapped hard against the kitchen tiles. Reaching into the open drawer, she raised up the white tubular device and immediately trudged towards the restroom. Sighing as she closed and locked the door, she whispered to herself, ""Now, to find out the answer to that big question."

Back in the training room, Goku was locked in combat with the mecha. It wasn't quite to the same level, but he could feel the kind of struggle he hadn't felt since Piccolo. After only a half hour of solid sparring, what Goku had come to realize was this; the machine, while strong, was far better at taking his hits than it was at giving them out. While the martial artist was wearing slightly tattered gi and sporting a few new bruises, the mecha was shining with a raven hue, unmarred by Goku's earlier physical assault.

"Seems like...you're built to last, aren't ya?" Goku grinned, parrying a crushing blow from the robot's rectangular arm. "Then let's see if you can keep up with me!"

With that declaration, Goku grasped his wrist bands slipping them off with a loud thump on the metal flooring below. Kicking off his boots to which they clanked to the ground, followed by his under gi thrown over his shoulder to crash especially heavy behind his ankles. Bare footed and without restraints, he smiled at the robot that continually monitored his figure, ready to assault at any given moment.

Without his weighted training gi to drag him down, Goku was light as a feather. He'd left the weighted portions on at first, holding back his speed as a way of testing the waters, but now it was time to press his advantage. Goku began to move about the room, pushing his speed to the point that he had actively vanished from the view of the naked eye. The room appeared empty except for the robot, but very soon, a repeatedtapping noise could be heard echoing around the empty space.

It seemed to be having the desired effect on the machine. With its red eye, the head began to spin on its joint, frantically sending out the laser in multiple directions to try and detect the presence of Goku. However, the robot's scanners couldn't detect something moving faster than the machine itself could process; it outstripped the ability parameters of the mecha.

Goku appeared in front of the machine, with its red eye still looking for him in another direction, and released a flurry of punches with all the speed and force of a cannon shooting cannonballs at the speed of a sub-machine gun. Each and every blow struck the chest region of the robot, five hundred punches hitting within the span of two seconds. On the five hundredth blow, Goku struck through the robot, his fist protruding out the back of it. Removing his fist from the mecha's chest, the machine fell backwards with a crash.

"Whoops..." Goku leaned down, poking the machine, watching it splutter and smoke. "I think I destroyed it...Ms. Hisoka isn't going to be too happy..."

"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?" Bulma was rapidly pacing in a circle around her living room. Being part of the Capsule Corporation building, the living room itself was exceptionally large, and never had Bulma been more thankful for the walking space than she was right now. "How do I tell him?" She bit her thumb, her face thick with worry. "How do I explain something like this to Son?"

This was unprecedented — no, that'd be incorrect to say such a thing — but it wasn't something she was expecting to happen so soon. She and Goku had only been married six months...she didn't know if she was ready for this. Even worse, her parents had been correct; part of her petty attitude made this a difficult pill to swallow. Still pacing, the woman began to mentally play out scenes in her head about how to break the news to her husband. And yet nothing she imagined seemed to be solid; it wasn't something she could wrap her mind around, because this kind of situation was out of Goku's knowledge.

"How do I tell Son...?" Bulma repeated herself.

"Tell me what?"

Bulma jumped, making a noise akin to a startled cat. Looking around, she saw her husband standing there, casually smiling. "O-Oh...! Son! Good morning! How much of that did you h-hear?"

"Only that last bit." The married man grinned, walking over to hug his wife good morning. Bulma halfheartedly returned the embrace, and couldn't help but look at Goku's own innocent smile and form a meek one of her own. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Looking at Goku's cluelessly smiling face, Bulma knew she was going to have to tell him. It wasn't news she could keep from him for too long — if only because even he would start asking questions eventually — and she took a deep breath, smiling brightly. "I've got fantastic news. I'm pregnant."

A/N:

Demod: Hai guys! Glad to make this update a reality. I loved the parts I got to write in, what with establishing Goku's habit of keeping himself in shape without...you know...abandoning his family, lol. This also gives some nice implications that Goku and Bulma spend plenty of time communicating and intimacy so that they don't really stay apart for too long. The ability to have someone almost cause a car wreck but not think about how unsafe it is to be on the street is something only Goku could accomplish. Anyways, I don't really have much else to add. The Image Training segment and Goku's perception of the world around him as he moves faster than the eye can see were fun bits for myself to write other than poor nauseous Bulma being pestered by her parents. I'll leave the rest in my co-author's capable hands. See ya guys later in December!

LastionLover: Hello, everyone! It's finally hitting the website — chapter 4 of the Heart of Adventurers. It's so very weird having two ongoing stories, since I have to decide how to divvy up my time. Even working with Mang, these do take me more time than I'm happy with. But the chapter is finally up and I couldn't be happier with that. This chapter was a pretty fun one to do; the first timeskip, and a very brief one too; just six months. Six months into Goku and Bulma's marriage, and we give you guys a nice peek at Goku's morning schedule. Something you may or may not notice is the difference in how Goku is; while Chi-Chi didn't seem to want him to go off and do anything at all, Goku and Bulma have come to a kind of agreement as to how and when Goku can train, to still allow him room to stretch, but also keep their marriage intact. The image training was Demod's idea, and I think it was a brilliant idea (if only to keep him from fighting another Bruce Lee look-alike in the middle of a city), and a nice homage to the manga of Super. The robot was another fun idea, and more or less a jab at The World's Strongest.

As usual, I have a name to explain: just one in this case.

Hisoka comes from 秘書 hisho (secretary), where the character 秘 can be read as hisoka.

Beyond that, I think this is where the fun truly starts. Bulma is pregnant and Goku is going to have to cope with the life of a married man and fatherhood in an entirely different manner than he did in the canon series. How will he pull it off? Well, you guys'll have to wait for chapter five to find that out! Also, not sure how often I mention it, but give thanks to our friend Firegod00 for proofreading and editing this thing before we put it up. This truly is a three-person show.