The night was peaceful, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the rhythmic sound of Jaku's knife as he prepared their meal. The earthy scent of the forest mingled with the savory aroma of cooking meat, creating an atmosphere that should have been calming. But Bulma barely noticed, her attention fixed on the worn manual in her hands. Ki Manipulation: Fundamentals of Energy Control, the cover read. What had seemed straightforward at first glance revealed layers of complexity with each page she turned.
Her fingers traced Jaku's precise handwriting, following his notes on energy channeling. She'd always prided herself on her scientific mind, on being able to break down any problem into its component parts. But Ki was different. It wasn't just energy to be measured or a force to be calculated—it was life itself, her life, flowing through every cell of her being. It demanded understanding on a level beyond mere intellect.
"Remember," Jaku called out, his voice carrying easily across their camp as he demonstrated a stance for Oolong, "Ki responds to intention as much as action. Your mind needs to be as clear as your movements."
Bulma glanced up, watching as Jaku effortlessly balanced teaching with preparing their dinner. The massive dinosaur he'd brought down earlier lay partially butchered, its skull bearing witness to his incredible strength. She'd seen him hunt it down—no weapons, just pure power and speed. The memory still amazed her.
"You really think I can learn this?" Oolong asked, clutching his copy of Ki Flight and Control for Beginners like a lifeline. The former shapeshifting troublemaker had shown surprising dedication since joining their group, though his nervousness remained evident.
"Of course," Jaku replied, his confidence unwavering. "Everyone has Ki. Learning to use it is just about understanding yourself." He paused his work to adjust Oolong's stance. "Here, feel how your energy wants to flow naturally."
Bulma smiled, remembering her own first lessons. She'd been skeptical, even dismissive, until that moment when she'd first felt her own energy pulse within her. Nothing in her life—not inventing, not discovering the Dragon Radar, nothing—had prepared her for that sensation. It had opened her eyes to possibilities she'd never imagined.
Closing her eyes, she centered herself as Jaku had taught her. The warm current of her Ki responded immediately, flowing through her with gentle strength. She didn't push it, content for now to simply feel its presence. Each day brought new understanding, new control, and with it, a growing appreciation for Jaku's teaching.
"Hey," Jaku called out softly, and Bulma opened her eyes to find him watching her with approval. "Your energy's getting steadier. You've been practicing."
She felt her cheeks warm at the praise. "Well, I had a good teacher," she replied, trying to keep her voice casual. But something in his gaze made her heart skip a beat.
The moment was broken by Oolong's frustrated grunt as he attempted to channel his own energy. Jaku turned back to his student, hiding a smile. "Patience, Oolong. It takes time."
As conversation shifted to basic Ki theory, Bulma found her thoughts drifting to her calendar. With a start, she realized she'd missed something important in their weeks of training. "I'm fifteen now," she whispered, the realization bringing both surprise and a strange sort of clarity. She wasn't the same person who'd set out looking for Dragon Balls. Everything had changed—she had changed.
Her mind wandered to that afternoon in her home theater, when she'd first glimpsed a different side of Jaku...
The memory surfaced clearly—that lazy afternoon in her home theater, when she'd been scrolling through StreamNet's endless offerings. Jaku had wandered in, casual and relaxed, but it was his reaction to the screen that caught her attention.
"Jesus," he'd laughed, pointing at the display. "That's quite the collection of knockoffs they've got here."
She remembered how he'd settled beside her, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. "What do you mean?" she'd asked, genuinely curious about what had amused him so much.
His eyes lit up as he gestured to one of the thumbnails. "Dimension Heroes—look at it! They're trying so hard to be Power Rangers, but it's like they grabbed rangers from three different series and threw them together." His laughter was infectious. "Each character looks like they wandered in from their own show. Although," he'd added thoughtfully, "that actually might have made it more interesting than what they ended up with."
She'd raised an eyebrow, surprised by his insight. She had watched Dimension Heroes, expecting something entertaining, only to find exactly what he'd described—a messy amalgamation of every trend they could cram into one series.
"Oh, and this one," he'd continued, pointing to another thumbnail, barely containing his mirth. "That's definitely trying to be High School DXD. You wouldn't believe it, but the original even had its own Dragon Ball parody called Drag So Ball."
"You're making that up," she'd challenged, but his expression told her he wasn't.
"I wish I was," he'd grinned, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "The creators must have thought, 'Why stop at one parody when you can have them all?'"
Looking back now, she could see what she'd missed then—the way his eyes had lingered on her when she laughed, how he'd leaned in just a little closer than necessary to point out details on the screen. The flirting had been subtle but constant, wrapped in humor and shared amusement.
"So," he'd asked, settling more comfortably beside her, "what does the brilliant Bulma Briefs watch when she's not revolutionizing technology?"
The memory of her response made her blush even now. "Maybe I should check out this High School DXD you seem to know so much about?"
His expression had been priceless—a mix of amusement and something warmer. "Oh, you're not ready for that one," he'd teased. "It's not exactly... family-friendly. Besides, someone as sharp as you would probably spend the whole time pointing out plot holes."
"Bold of you to assume I wouldn't enjoy that," she'd shot back, earning another of his genuine laughs.
Returning to the present, Bulma felt her cheeks warm at the memory. She'd been so focused on the surface level—the jokes, the casual conversation—that she'd missed the underlying current between them. Or maybe she hadn't missed it so much as chosen not to acknowledge it.
The crackling of the fire brought her attention back to their camp. Jaku was still teaching Oolong, his patience evident in every careful explanation. She watched him demonstrate a basic Ki exercise, noting how naturally power flowed through him, how centered he seemed in himself.
That's what drew me in, she realized. Not just his strength or knowledge, but his certainty—in himself, in her potential, in what they could become. Her earlier dismissal of his talk about a polycule seemed almost naive now. She understood better what he'd meant about connections, about sharing strength and support.
"Focus on your center," Jaku was saying to Oolong. "Ki isn't just about power—it's about knowing yourself, trusting your own energy."
Bulma touched the manual in her lap, feeling the steady pulse of her own Ki responding to her awareness. She was changing, growing, becoming someone stronger than she'd imagined possible. And Jaku... Jaku was a bigger part of that than she'd been ready to admit.
Am I really considering this? she wondered, but the answer was already there, warm and certain in her chest. Yes, she was. Because somewhere between Ki lessons and shared laughter, between power and possibility, she'd started to see what he'd known all along—that they could be something extraordinary together.
The night deepened around them, stars emerging one by one in the darkening sky. Bulma closed her eyes, letting herself feel the flow of energy within her, no longer fighting the warmth that spread through her chest when she thought of Jaku. She was fifteen now, stronger and more aware than ever before. And maybe, just maybe, ready to admit that her heart had already made its choice.
"Hey," she called out softly, catching Jaku's attention. "Think you could help me practice after you're done teaching Oolong?"
His smile, genuine and warm, made her pulse quicken. "Always," he replied, and in that simple word, she heard everything they hadn't yet said aloud.
Yes, she thought, returning his smile. I'm definitely okay with this.
Hope you guys enjoyed the relationship building. I wanted to feel natural without going into too much detail. Really hope I did so, at the very least I believed I did.