"What a mess you've gotten yourself into, Raditz," said Bulma. She was standing next to the Saiyan and staring at the bag of money on the floor. She paid no attention to the other blue-haired girl since Lazuli was calming her down.
"It's just that your world is too strange!" Raditz complained aloud, keeping his head down. He knew that his curiosity about what was going on had brought him there.
Where had he ever seen such a peculiar situation? He wanted to understand why that weak woman seemed to be stealing. Now, he was accused of theft and kidnapping. The worst part? He hadn't eaten the pizza he'd ordered, and now he was starving.
"Do all Earthlings get grumpy when they sneeze?" Raditz asked suddenly, thinking of something important. Could his brother's wife be so annoying because she hadn't sneezed yet, which had changed her mood?
"No, this seems to be a quirk of hers. It's the first time I've heard of anything like this." Bulma looked up and watched as Lazuli walked toward them with the unknown girl, who seemed much calmer. But in the scientist's eyes, curiosity sparkled.
"Huh? Isn't that a transformation among you Earthlings? Well, not that I care all that much. The power levels on this planet are so unbalanced," Raditz complained, expressing some of the confusion he had experienced during his short but revealing stay on Earth.
"Her name is Launch, and she wants to apologize to you for the misunderstanding," Lazuli said bluntly to the Saiyan. He didn't mind, though, as he was accustomed to her direct manner of speaking. He simply lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the woman named Launch.
Perhaps her more timid side was startled by his abrupt movements, because she jumped back like a startled cat when she saw Raditz's eyes. She positioned herself behind the blonde, who glared at the Saiyan.
"Don't they teach you to be gentle with women?" Lazuli asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She didn't expect Raditz to think about her question, but she was stunned by his response.
"The universe is unforgiving. The most beautiful species are often the most dangerous because they use their charm as a weapon. So never trust beautiful beings in the universe, or you might end up being devoured, and not in a sexually satisfying way." Raditz spoke these words in a cold tone, as if he were casually dropping a piece of common knowledge.
The three women, however, reacted in different ways. Lazuli's eye twitched, and she asked a random question that normal people usually wouldn't bother answering. Launch, on the other hand, looked at the Saiyan with interest, wanting to learn more about the universe from the tall man who frightened her.
As for Bulma, she nodded, accepting the information. When a species came into contact with other races in the universe, it had to use whatever was at hand as a weapon, and beauty was one of those things.
It wouldn't surprise her if there were species entirely composed of extremely handsome men or beautiful women. In that sense, wasn't Zarbon also a member of such a race? Many of her alternate versions had taken an interest in him before he transformed, after all.
Much like a Venus flytrap. They lure with a seductive scent before revealing their terrifying mouths and gastric juices, which can dissolve any unwary insect that falls into their trap. If she were right, she could imagine why Zarbon's transformation was so "ugly" in the end.
'But these are things I must confirm in person. Making hypotheses based on brainstorming and unreliable information about what's supposedly canon isn't my style at all. However, I have an example of something similar here,' Bulma reflected before taking a closer look at Launch.
She was very different from the images the scientist had obtained before arriving at the forest. In those videos, an athletic blonde woman appeared who was full of spirit and wildness. She was capable of spewing profanities while firing a barrage of bullets.
The blue-haired woman standing before her, on the other hand, looked like a huggable stuffed animal. She was gentle, kind, and shy. She had a minuscule Ki, yet she was so pure that it stood out to anyone with even a modicum of sensitivity.
She had only ever seen that level of purity in her younger brother, Goku. There wasn't a trace of evil in her. Bulma even wondered if Launch ate meat or swatted the mosquitoes that bit her. It was unbelievable!
This was especially surprising since her blonde counterpart had committed numerous criminal acts that went far beyond mere theft. Although she hadn't directly killed anyone, she had harmed several people in one way or another. Yet not a trace of that remained in the blue-haired version of Launch.
They were essentially two entities sharing the same body that they could modify at will whenever they manifested. This level of bodily control, though instinctive, was impressive and valuable for the investigation.
"Lazuli, that Bulma woman has a terrifying look," Launch whispered to the blonde she was using as a shield. She was deeply unsettled by the gaze of the woman in the white lab coat and felt completely exposed, as if she were a tempting piece of fruit about to be bitten into.
"Bulma, please stop thinking about dissecting poor Launch," Lazuli said with a sigh of exasperation, making her girlfriend smile as she stuck out her tongue in a teasing gesture.
"Dissect her?" Not at all! But I'd like to ask her a lot of questions and run some tests. For example, I'd like to collect her DNA every time she changes form. Will her DNA change? It should. At least the expression of certain genes in her genetic makeup should change. That would explain the change in her hair color..." Bulma began to murmur the many ideas she had in mind, causing Launch to turn pale with fear.
Although she didn't understand how she supposedly had another self-hidden inside her body that only emerged when she sneezed, she instinctively felt this other self wasn't dangerous and might be helpful.
However, hearing Bulma speak so openly about the experiments she planned to conduct reminded Launch of the evil scientist movies she had seen. That hair-colored companion really scared her!
"In short, wouldn't it be interesting to decipher the mechanism behind her transformation? We might even find a way to separate them into distinct individuals, or at least let them choose when to switch," Bulma concluded. But then she noticed that Raditz had subtly moved away from her. Launch was pale, her lips purple with fear. Lazuli covered her face as if she regretted something.
"Scientists are just as terrifying everywhere, no matter where they are," Raditz whispered, recalling some uncomfortable memories from his past. As one of the last Saiyans in the universe, he had been forced to visit the scientists of Freezer's army many times.
No matter what the scientist specialized in, they always displayed a terrifying side to those who weren't like them. This left a deep impression on Raditz's mind.
"Um, Ma'am Bulma..." When Launch wanted to say something to the scientist and uttered those words, she felt as if a bloodthirsty prehistoric creature had spotted her. She hid behind Lazuli again.
"Bulma was just being polite. Don't get so hung up on those words," the blonde said, calming Bulma down after she unleashed her aura upon hearing the word "ma'am."
"I'm not a ma'am! I'm a doctor, an engineer, an architect..." After rattling off a string of titles that no one bothered to remember, Bulma took a deep breath before continuing.
"But I'm not a ma'am! I don't have a single wrinkle or stretch mark on my body! I'm young, beautiful, and perfect!" Even without my power, I could live 200 or 300 years and still look this good!" Bulma concluded, lifting her chest with incredible pride and arrogance that seemed to surpass her power level.
"So, Miss?" asked Launch, still hiding behind Lazuli. Upon hearing Bulma's affirmative snort, Launch decided to come out from behind her. Her face was still pale, but the courage in her eyes, mustered with great effort, was admirable.
"Miss Bulma, although I didn't understand much of what you said, it seems there are many things you want to do for me, and I understand that.
But shouldn't you ask us? Both me and her..." Launch pointed to herself, making it clear that she treated her other self as an independent individual who deserved to know everything concerning the body they shared.
"I really didn't take your thoughts into account, Launch. I apologize for that."
Finally, Bulma realized something so basic yet overlooked. She had many ideas for tests and experiments, but it never occurred to her whether Launch would agree.
Bulma wasn't going to be like the scientists she despised, who took whatever interested them without caring about anything else. It could easily spiral down paths she didn't want to take. Science was a risky path that had to be approached with caution, much like martial arts training or cultivating some kind of power.
Bulma respected and trusted science, yet she also distrusted it. Today, she received a wake-up call that made her reconsider, so she decided to be more self-aware. What would have happened if Launch hadn't brought the subject up?
Would she act without the woman's express permission? Would she do the same with every person she became interested in? Would she really go so far as to capture people, cut them open, and examine their peculiarities?
The idea of becoming as despicable as Dr. Wheelo or the alternate versions of Dr. Gero repulsed her. She hadn't forgotten that Lazuli was likely transformed against her will, losing much of what made her who she was and essentially becoming a different being while still inhabiting the same body.
Bulma wasn't a hypocritical woman. She could be conceited, arrogant, dark-hearted, and spiteful, but her words always matched her actions. She was straightforward. Without wasting any time, she sincerely apologized to Launch, who could sense her sincerity.
Pure-hearted people aren't all naive. Some are quite clever and have their own quirks and ways to survive in the world. Launch knew how to understand people. Perhaps she wasn't as empathetic as Bulma, but she could tell when someone was sincere with her.
"Don't worry. Even though people had always told me there was something strange about me, no one ever explained it to me as thoroughly as you have. I'd like to know what she thinks about this situation," Launch said assertively as she approached a cluster of flowers and took in their scent.
Pollen grains inevitably drifted into her nose, making it itch and triggering a reaction. She sneezed, and her appearance changed. Her hair turned blonde again, and her once gentle face sharpened, becoming more aggressive.
Launch fell silent, looking at the three people present and evaluating something only she knew about. After a few seconds, she sighed and displayed a much more peaceful demeanor.
"Will what you're going to do help me protect her better?" Launch asked Bulma.
Bulma blinked several times before nodding. She was certain that whatever Launch investigated would allow her to protect herself in any of her forms.
"Then, I give you my permission. But remember, I'm aware of everything that happens to her. If you harm her in any way..." Launch had watched that year's tournament, and she was one of the few people outside the martial arts world who could use the forums created by Bulma.
She had even received some martial arts training since the blonde Launch's ki was much more intense than the blue-haired version's. However, it was clear that she hadn't gotten very far since she still had to use firearms, just like a certain world-renowned assassin.
Still, she dared to threaten Bulma, willing to do whatever it took to protect those she cared about. In that sense, the warriors present initially recognized her as someone who could be trusted.
Because that courage was worthy of respect.
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AN: Yes, Launch. I will repeat it, because some of you didn't read: I WILL USE SPANISH NAMES.
Bulma with more than 200 years old is a new thing. Dragon Ball still onfire!