Age 751 – March 30th
Mori's Age: 11
Morning sunlight peeked through the long windows of Capsule Corp, casting golden streaks across the marble floor of the Briefs' main lounge. Birds chirped faintly in the distance as the soft clinking of silverware echoed from the kitchen.
"Good mooorning, sweetheart!" Mrs. Briefs sang in her usual melody as she flipped a pancake so high it nearly kissed the ceiling.
Mori, sitting at the edge of the breakfast table, still in his blue training shirt and black shorts, yawned as he blinked sleep from his glowing blue-white eyes. He sniffed the air and gave a sleepy smile. "Is that cinnamon?"
"You bet!" Mrs. Briefs winked. "It's your favorite, remember?"
Dr. Briefs strolled in a moment later with his black cat sitting calmly on his shoulder. "Morning, kiddo," he said, his voice calm and smooth as always. "You're up early… well, earlier than Bulma anyway."
As if on cue, a very tired Bulma dragged herself in, hair messy, pajamas still wrinkled. "Mmmmmmmorning," she muttered, plopping down next to Mori and stealing one of his pancakes before he could react.
"Hey!" Mori blinked, lips twitching between surprise and laughter. "That's mine."
"You'll live," she mumbled, already chewing. "Besides, today's a special day. You owe me one."
Mori tilted his head. "Why?"
Dr. Briefs chuckled. "Because it's Capsule Corp Appreciation Day. I've canceled all my lab work, your mom made her good cookies, and we're going out. As a family."
Mori blinked. "Going out?"
"Yup!" Mrs. Briefs chimed in. "A whole day out with just us four. Carnival, dinner, maybe a movie. No training, no homework, just fun!"
Mori paused, then smiled—a real, warm smile. "Okay."
Mid-Morning – West City Boardwalk
The sun shone brightly above as the family strolled down the bustling boardwalk. People were everywhere—food stalls wafted with sweet and savory smells, kids ran past with balloons, and mechanical rides loomed in the distance.
Mori's eyes lit up like twin suns as he took it all in. "This is… wow."
"Welcome to your first real day out in West City!" Bulma declared, arms stretched wide. "Prepare to be amazed, freaked out, and maybe even mildly nauseous!"
"Why nauseous?" Mori asked, tilting his head.
"You'll see," Bulma grinned.
First stop: The Carnival
They started with bumper cars.
Mori sat in the tiny vehicle, his legs awkwardly crammed. As the signal buzzed, he cautiously pressed the pedal. A second later, Bulma slammed into him from the side, cackling like a maniac.
"Ha! Got you!"
Mori blinked. "I thought this was about driving…"
"Driving AND survival!" she yelled, ramming him again.
A rare grin spread across Mori's face as he whipped the wheel to the side, dodging and turning with sudden, inhuman precision. The crowd watched in awe as his car practically danced around the others.
After that came the Ferris wheel, cotton candy, and a horror house Bulma swore Mori would love. He didn't flinch at a single jump scare.
"You're no fun," she pouted.
"I thought the ghosts were kinda cute," he said honestly.
Afternoon – Capsule Café
They ended up at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. Mori sat in between Bulma and Mrs. Briefs while Dr. Briefs casually scribbled notes in a small leather book.
"You're still working?" Bulma groaned.
"I'm inspired," he muttered, jotting down something about "compact battle simulation drones."
"Don't make them fight me," Mori said, chewing on a spoonful of ice cream.
"No promises," Dr. Briefs smiled.
The meal was long, slow, and full of laughter. Mori found himself caught in the rhythm of it all—Mrs. Briefs asking a million questions about his favorite colors, Bulma complaining about school drama, Dr. Briefs quietly sliding new blueprints over for Mori to peek at, then slipping them away when Mrs. Briefs noticed.
It was... cozy.
Warm.
A strange sort of comfort he'd never had before.
Evening – Boardwalk Lights
As the sun dipped low, the city lit up. The boardwalk now glowed with neon signs and bright, blinking attractions. Street performers juggled fire while musicians played lively tunes.
Bulma dragged Mori to a ring toss stand. "Alright, space boy, time to win me something."
"I don't know if I can—"
"You're literally a alien , throw a ring," she teased.
Mori narrowed his eyes. "Okay."
He picked up one of the small red rings and tossed it. The ring spiraled—perfect arc—and landed squarely on the narrow-necked bottle.
The vendor blinked. "Uh… you win."
"YES!" Bulma shouted, grabbing the massive stuffed bunny and tossing it into Mori's arms. "Now you carry it."
"I didn't agree to that…"
"You also didn't say no," she smirked.
He couldn't argue with that logic.
"Bulma why do you even need this stuffed bunny?? You literally have like 100 more in your room alone. Not mentioning the ones in the attic." Mori groaned out, while holding the gigantic bunny in his arms.
Bulma gasped in exasperation, at the sound of Mori's complaints. "Well, Mori you can never have too many stuffed animals, plus this one is special to me since my little brother won it for me!"
Bulma smiled showing all her teeth, which made Mori raise his arms playfully before smiling as well.
Late Night – Capsule Corp Roof
The Briefs were long asleep. The lights in the house dimmed, the city around them now quiet.
Mori stood shirtless on the rooftop, sweat dripping down his back as he moved through a slow, focused series of strikes and stances. His body glowed faintly with a calm, almost golden hue. The peace of the day hadn't dulled his instinct to grow stronger.
He flipped, spun, and planted his feet into a strong stance, holding it as his breath came out in a soft, foggy plume.
He stood still.
Silent.
Eyes closed.
Far above the planet, invisible to the naked eye, the Big Gete Star observed silently. Its lenses flicked and refocused with machine-like precision.
"Subject continues to grow," a synthetic voice muttered. "Adaptations stabilized. Emotional anchors strong. Threat potential: rising."
It paused as another flicker of pink energy briefly sparked across Mori's spine before disappearing.
"Continue observation. Future assimilation… inevitable."
Back on the rooftop…
Mori finally opened his eyes. The stars above twinkled like a thousand little memories. He held the silence like it was sacred.
And for the first time in a long time, Mori allowed himself to smile—not for battle, not for victory…
…but because today felt real.
"I love you guys so much.. I WILL do whatever it takes to keep you guys safe from any harm... including myself."