.::EIGHT::.
Panchy made her way down the hallway, humming cheerfully as she approached Bulma's room. Finding the door closed, she knocked politely.
"Yeah?" came Bulma's voice from the other side.
Panchy opened the door and stepped inside. "Hi, sweetie."
Bulma was seated at her desk, quickly closing the journal she had been writing in.
"Hi, Mom," she replied, spinning around in her chair to face her.
Panchy easily navigated through the clutter scattered throughout the room, eventually leaning against the desk and beaming down at her daughter.
"Guess what?" she asked, excitement bubbling in her voice.
"What?" Bulma responded, her tone a little flat.
"Your father and I are going on a little vacation!" Panchy announced with a bright smile.
"You are?" Bulma asked, sounding less than enthusiastic.
Panchy glanced at her daughter's tired expression, then at the journal sitting closed on the desk.
"Oh, sweetheart," Panchy sighed. "What did Yamcha do?"
Bulma's eyes widened slightly before her daughter eyed the journal.
"Nothing, Mom," she replied quickly.
Panchy raised a skeptical eyebrow, clearly not buying the deflection. "Are you sure?"
Bulma looked up, offering a small, weary smile. "I'm positive. There's nothing to worry about, Mom."
Though Panchy was tempted to press further, she held back, respecting her daughter's space. She knew Bulma would open up when she was ready.
"So, where are you guys heading?" Bulma asked, changing the subject.
"You know that red ship your father's been working on forever? Well, it's finally finished!" Panchy exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "We're flying it back to the owner, who apparently lives on a tropical island. He's invited your father and me to stay as long as we want!"
Bulma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, that sounds amazing, Mom," she said, her tone genuine.
"I know! It sounds like a dream, white sandy beaches, crystal-clear water." Panchy playfully winked. "And we're not coming back until we feel like it!"
Bulma attempted a smile, but Panchy could tell her daughter's mind was elsewhere, too weighed down by her thoughts.
"Oh, sweetheart."
Panchy leaned in, gently cupping Bulma's cheeks with her hands. She kissed her forehead and then leaned back against the desk.
"You know what?" Panchy asked her daughter. "You should grab a few girlfriends and take a break from the city for a week. A vacation would do you good. You've been working so hard lately."
She gave Bulma's shoulder a hopeful squeeze, silently wishing her daughter would open up, though she knew better than to push.
"Why don't we have dinner tonight, just the three of us, before we leave?" Panchy suggested. "How does that sound?"
Bulma looked up, surprised. "You guys are leaving tonight?"
Panchy nodded with a grin. "Yes! Your father says the pay for the repairs was pretty generous."
Bulma's eyebrows lifted in amusement, and a smile finally tugged at her lips.
"Ah, now I see why Dad's so eager to get going."
She chuckled, and Panchy joined her, happy to see her daughter lightened up.
"Need any help with dinner?" Bulma offered.
"Oh no," Panchy said with a shake of her head. "I want to surprise you and your father. It'll be ready at six."
Bulma nodded, and Panchy kissed the top of her head before quietly slipping out of the room.
xXx
Vegeta's intense stare was fixed out the rounded window of the gravity chamber; his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene inside the house. Through the window, he could see a picturesque, domestic scene unfolding in the dining room: a cheerful family of three gathered around the large table, their laughter and conversations evident. This was the first time Vegeta had witnessed them all together for dinner since his arrival on Earth months ago.
A surge of frustration and envy rippled through him as he spat onto the chamber floor. Vegeta's stomach churned with gnawing hunger as he looked at the abundance of food before them on the table. Despite his appetite, he resolutely refused to leave the chamber.
Vegeta spat on the floor again and stalked back to the center of the chamber. He eyed the remnants of the three bots he had previously destroyed, which lay discarded beside the door. Despite agreeing to drop the wreckage in the blue-haired woman's office, Vegeta had no intention of fulfilling it now. He didn't want to be around her anymore and was determined to avoid further interaction.
With a fierce glare, Vegeta propelled himself into the air, his eyes locked on the remaining bot. He launched a powerful ki blast, hoping the last bot would withstand his energy. Thankfully, it did, and a burst of energy shot out, and it whizzed dangerously close, forcing Vegeta to leap aside with an angry snarl.
He was pissed off, mostly at himself. Vegeta mentally chastised himself for his recent lapse in judgment the previous night with the blue-haired woman. Consuming the beverage with her had been a foolish decision. Vegeta seethed as he powered up, his thoughts simmering with barely contained rage.
Thirty minutes later, the gravity chamber started to tremble. Vegeta quickly dismissed the ki surrounding his hands and looked around the room, concerned as it shook. He floated to the ground and promptly deactivated the gravity as the shaking persisted.
Maybe an earthquake? he thought.
Vegeta opened the chamber door just in time to see a red spaceship emerging from a massive crater in the backyard, slowly rising into the air.
The blue-haired woman stood near the gaping hole, her arm waving animatedly at the spacecraft. Vegeta strained to see who she was waving at, but he could not discern the figures inside the ship. So he extended his senses and soon identified the occupants: the blonde woman and her husband.
As the red spaceship rose steadily above Capsule Corp, the massive crater in the ground began to close seamlessly. The yard was now pristine and undisturbed as if nothing had transpired. Vegeta watched the spacecraft climb higher into the sky, eventually fading from view.
Caught up in his thoughts, Vegeta was momentarily distracted as he stared into the evening sky. When he finally looked away, he noticed the blue-haired woman had turned her attention toward him and was walking purposefully in his direction. Without a second glance, Vegeta spun on his heel and headed back into the gravity chamber, eager to retreat from the approaching woman.
"Vegeta, wait!" she called out from behind him, her voice carrying a note of urgency.
Vegeta fought the urge to slam the door shut in her face, his fingers twitching towards the button on the control panel. He held his ground, slightly turning his head to watch her approach as she made her way up the small ramp into the chamber.
She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket, her shoulders hunched as if she were trying to ward off the chill of the evening air.
"They're going on vacation for a while," she told him, her voice muffled slightly by the wind. "Mom asked me to let you know that there is plenty of food for you in the fridge in the pantry."
Vegeta remained silent, hoping his lack of response would encourage her to leave.
"Where are those damaged bots?" she asked, looking around the chamber's interior. She spotted the bots piled up next to the door. "Here they are," she whispered to herself.
Vegeta watched silently as she clicked the top of a capsule she pulled from her pocket. A soft pop signaled its activation, and she tossed it onto the pile of damaged bots with a practiced flick of her wrist. A cloud of smoke erupted immediately, swirling around the wrecked machines. Once the smoke disappeared, the bots were stored inside the small blue capsule on the floor.
"I'll start working on these first thing in the morning," she told him, her tone brisk. "Have a good night, Vegeta."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and left. Vegeta hit the button on the control panel and closed the door behind her. He scowled because his attempt to avoid interacting with the human had failed once again.
xXx
Bulma started working on the bots at precisely eight the following day. She thought it would be an easy fix based on their appearance, but alas, it turned into a more complicated and rigorous job. It took her three hours just to fix one bot.
With a sigh, she leaned back in the creaky chair and looked down at the other broken bots sitting on the floor beside the work table. Bulma stretched, and her back popped in two places. She needed to stretch her legs. Bulma knew that with only one working bot in the gravity chamber, it couldn't be helping Vegeta very much. She grabbed a capsule and tossed it on the fixed bot. Once the cloud of smoke cleared, she picked up the capsule and exited the laboratory workroom.
As always, Vegeta was still in the gravity chamber; the red glow from the rounded windows a clear indication. Bulma walked up the short ramp and knocked on the door, though she was sure he already knew she was there. She waited patiently, and finally, after a moment, the door slid open. Sweat dripped off every inch of his bare skin. He already knew what she was there for and reached a hand out for the capsule.
"It's just one," she admitted, placing it in his hand.
"Just one?" Vegeta asked, his brow arching.
"They're a little more damaged than they look," she told him.
Vegeta growled and, without another word, turned around.
"There are some other options," Bulma said before her mind could catch up.
Vegeta stopped and turned back around.
"Such as?"
If you had asked Bulma last week if she would have willingly brought Vegeta down into Capsule Corporation's most secretive laboratory, she would have laughed in your face. The idea of sharing something so personal and closely tied to her family with the Saiyan would have seemed absurd.
But today... here she was.
The room was beyond unlike any other in Capsule Corporation, a hidden gem within the extensive facilities. It was a place where she and her father had spent countless hours tinkering, building, and pushing the limits of what was possible.
As Bulma stepped into the room, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. The walls were lined with ray guns and explosives of all shapes and sizes, each meticulously designed and tested. Manikins covered in heavy-duty armor stood around the room, as did every kind of gadget, hardly leaving any inch of the walls bare.
She could almost hear the echoes of her younger self laughing and arguing with her father as they debated one design over another. This room was part of her soul, a sanctuary of creativity and memories. She had never shown it to anyone, not even Yamcha.
Bulma watched silently as Vegeta entered, his movements slow as he took in the room's contents. His eyes flickered from one device to the next, his expression unreadable, but she knew he was analyzing every detail. He didn't speak as he moved through the room. There was no arrogance in the way he now carried himself.
This was the first time she had seen him like this, free of emotion.
Bulma held her breath as he approached a counter crowded with various gadgets. This room, this collection of creations, was deeply personal, and she couldn't help but feel vulnerable sharing it with him.
Finally, Vegeta paused in front of a particular piece of armor. He reached out, almost hesitantly, and ran his fingers along the edge of the metal, tracing the lines of craftsmanship that had taken her and her father weeks to perfect.
"Is this alien armor?" Vegeta asked, his voice calm and steady as he continued to survey the room with his back still turned to her.
Bulma felt her cheeks warm with an unexpected blush at his question. A strange mix of embarrassment and pride caused her to falter. She licked her dry lips, trying to regain her composure.
"No. This is...," she began. "This is stuff that my dad and I have created."
Vegeta turned slowly to face her, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. His expression was thoughtful, almost like he saw her in a new light. The weight of his full attention felt both exhilarating and unnerving.
"Why have you brought me here?" he asked.
Bulma took a steadying breath as she tried to maintain her composure under his scrutiny. She walked over to the nearest wall, where shelves were cluttered with prototypes and half-finished projects. Her fingers closed around a small capsule resting on one of the shelves, and she turned back to face Vegeta, her heart pounding in her chest.
"For this," she said, her voice more confident than she felt.
She activated the capsule with a quick press of the top, and with a faint hiss, the capsule burst open in a cloud of smoke. Once cleared, a robot stood between them, its sleek metallic body glinting under the lights. The bot was humanoid in form, built with reinforced alloys and advanced technology that had been years in the making. It was a product of her and her father's combined genius, a blend of creativity and engineering.
Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, a rare sign of surprise from the usually stoic Saiyan. He stepped closer, examining the bot. Bulma allowed herself a small, proud smile as she watched him.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"XQU-187," Bulma announced, her tone confident as she gestured toward the robot. "It's a training bot my dad and I have been working on. It's still a prototype, not fully completed, but I figured you might be able to put it to good use while I finish up the other two bots."
Vegeta circled the robot, his eyes scanning every detail critically, assessing its potential. The robot's design was streamlined and formidable for intense training sessions.
"What exactly does it do?" Vegeta asked as he continued his inspection.
"I've programmed it to integrate seamlessly with the gravity chamber," Bulma explained, stepping closer to the bot. "Once you set the gravity level, just like with the other training bots, it should automatically adjust and begin its routine as soon as the gravity hits."
Vegeta nodded slightly, his gaze now filled with a glimmer of interest.
"It's not designed for ki blast workouts," Bulma added quickly, feeling the need to manage his expectations. "But as a sparring partner, it should be able to keep up with you pretty well."
XxX
Twenty minutes later, Vegeta stood in the gravity chamber, holding a small purple capsule. With a sharp click, he activated it and tossed it onto the floor. A hiss of smoke filled the room, and as it cleared, the tall humanoid robot emerged, standing before him. Vegeta's dark eyes narrowed as he assessed the new machine. He'd grown frustrated with the rounded training bots and highly doubted this new model would be any different. Still, he decided to give it a chance.
Without hesitation, Vegeta popped open the other capsule, releasing the one black bot the woman had managed to fix. He strode to the control panel and dialed the gravity to his preferred level.
True to the woman's word, the humanoid robot activated with a soft whir, its joints clicking into place as it assumed a combat-ready stance. Its fists were raised, and its feet were evenly spaced, grounded for battle. Above, the two rounded bots began to orbit, spinning lazily in a wide circle.
Vegeta approached the robot once the chamber was bathed in a dim red glow. He lashed out with a lightning-fast punch aimed at its metallic face, expecting the machine to crumble under his might. But to his surprise, the robot blocked his strike with a swift motion and jumped back, creating space between them. A smirk tugged at the corner of Vegeta's lips; perhaps this new bot would be worth his time after all.
Without wasting a moment, Vegeta powered up, his aura flaring as he launched himself at the robot, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches. But every strike met empty air as the robot dodged with uncanny speed, evading each of Vegeta's attempts to land a blow. They moved together in a deadly dance around the chamber, the robot fluidly dodging while Vegeta's frustration mounted.
It didn't take long for the one-sided nature of the fight to wear on his patience. Vegeta growled in irritation. The robot wasn't fighting back; it was only avoiding his attacks, refusing to engage in a proper battle. With a scowl, Vegeta stopped mid-punch and straightened up as he glared at the machine. He turned to the control panel to shut it off. Vegeta was going to return the dysfunctional robot back to the blue-haired woman. How dare she give him another piece of junk?
Had it not been for his heightened Saiyan senses, Vegeta might have taken a direct blow to the spine. Despite the gravity machine's engine roaring in the background, his finely tuned hearing caught the faint sound of metal shifting behind him.
In an instant, Vegeta whirled around, just in time to meet the oncoming attack. The metal fist collided with his bicep, the force strong enough to push him back a step but nothing more. A smirk curled on Vegeta's lips as he absorbed the impact, his eyes glinting excitedly.
Finally, the robot was fighting back!
Without hesitation, he tightened his fists and launched a flurry of punches at the robot. The robot responded in kind to Vegeta's satisfaction, its metallic limbs swinging toward him with calculated aggression. The two exchanged blows in a rapid-fire rhythm, the clang of metal against flesh echoing through the chamber.
The robot, trying to gain the upper hand, suddenly attempted to sweep Vegeta's legs out from under him. The maneuver was almost successful, but Vegeta's reflexes were too sharp. He shifted his weight and caught himself just in time, using the momentum to drive a powerful punch into the robot's gut. The impact reverberated through the machine, sending it skidding back across the chamber floor. Vegeta smirked, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he prepared for the next round.
Eventually, Vegeta managed to weave in some ki blasts with the round bots between his exchange with the robot. He'd been craving this challenge: a true sparring partner who could keep up with his speed and precision while returning blows that stung when he slipped up. Not some weak human who couldn't even block a punch to the face properly.
A smirk tugged at the corner of Vegeta's mouth as he continued the relentless workout. Why hadn't the woman given him this robot when he first arrived? This humanoid machine was leagues ahead of those useless, rounded bots that could barely withstand a few days of his training.
After an hour, Vegeta finally began to break a sweat. So far, this was the most intense training he'd had since setting foot in Capsule Corp, and for once, he found himself genuinely enjoying the challenge. But just as the thrill began to take hold, it was cut short.
With a powerful strike to the humanoid robot's face, Vegeta felt the impact reverberate through the machine, and a shower of sparks erupted from the connection joint at its neck. He frowned, letting the ki dissipate from his hands as he stepped back, expecting the robot to disarm as it had done during previous sessions. But instead of powering down, the robot took an aggressive step forward and swung a fist straight at his face.
Vegeta jumped back away from the robot, hoping that would work, but the robot had other plans. It rushed at him, launching a relentless storm of punches, each coming faster and more erratic than the last. Sparks continued to fly from its damaged neck, and Vegeta could now see exposed wires jutting out from the torn metal.
Great.
Vegeta knew he could easily destroy the malfunctioning machine with a single blast, but it had proven to be an exceptional sparring partner, and he was reluctant to waste such a rare challenge. Besides, maybe that blue-haired woman could figure out how to reinforce it to withstand ki blasts like the rounded bots.
However, when the sparks intensified, Vegeta's concern grew. This was more than just a minor malfunction. He swiftly jumped towards the control panel and reached over to deactivate the gravity. The crimson light dimmed, and the rounded bots gently dropped to the floor, shutting off as they should. But the damned humanoid robot refused to stand down. It charged at him again, undeterred by its failing systems.
With a groan of frustration, Vegeta hit a button on the control panel, one he'd been told could communicate with Capsule Corporation. Of course, he'd never bothered using it before. To his surprise, a television descended from the ceiling. As a screen lowered, Vegeta continued to evade the malfunctioning robot, leaping back and forth to keep its wild attack at bay.
When the TV finally stopped moving, Vegeta spun to face it, all while throwing and dodging punches from the relentless machine. The blue-haired woman appeared on the screen, her frazzled expression locking onto him.
"Vegeta? Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Your precious robot's on the fritz!" he shouted, landing a punch squarely on the machine's face with a satisfying blow.
"I'll be right there!" she said quickly, jumping out of her seat.
The last thing Vegeta saw was her chair spinning in the frame as the television rose back into the ceiling.
He didn't know what exactly the woman intended to do, but he shrugged and focused on keeping the robot at bay. Moments later, he heard a knock at the chamber door.
She must have run, he thought.
It took a moment, but Vegeta finally hit the button on the control panel to open the chamber door.
As the door slid open, she called out to him, "Can you grab hold of it? I need to pop open the panel on its leg."
Vegeta grunted in response, then wrapped his powerful arms around the robot, pinning it against his chest. The machine struggled, its metal elbows jabbing his ribs with surprising force.
"Hurry, woman!" he barked, his patience wearing thin.
With small tools in hand, she rushed over and quickly popped open a metal section on the robot's leg. With deft fingers, she disconnected a cluster of wires. The robot immediately went limp, and Vegeta dropped it.
"Phew!" she sighed, falling to the floor next to the robot. She stared up at the ceiling in relief. "That was close."
Vegeta arched a brow and crossed his arms as he looked down at her with amusement and annoyance. "Get this mess cleaned up."
Her expression shifted instantly, and she whipped her head around to glare at him, her frown mirroring his. "Excuse me?"
He chuckled darkly. "You heard me."
Without another word, he turned his back on her and headed toward the chamber's entrance. "Have that robot up and running as soon as possible. I want to train with it again."
"Fuck you, Vegeta!" he heard her mutter just as the door slid shut behind him, and he headed inside the house.