Ten days had passed since Nappa had delivered the Saiyan space pods to Dr. Brief.
The morning air was crisp and clear as everyone gathered on the sprawling lawn behind Capsule Corporation, their eyes fixed on the massive spacecraft.
The ship gleamed in the sunlight, its white hull emblazoned with the Capsule Corp logo.
It was spherical in design, similar to the Saiyan pods but exponentially larger, with multiple viewports dotting its surface and a sturdy ramp extending from its base.
"Well, what do you think?" Dr. Brief asked proudly, scratching his cat behind the ears as it perched on his shoulder. "She's ready to fly!"
Toji stood with arms crossed, examining the vessel with an appraising eye. Beside him, Goku bounced on his heels with barely contained excitement, while Vegeta maintained his characteristic scowl.
"It's huge!" Gohan exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Had to be," Dr. Brief explained, puffing his chest out slightly. "The gravity chamber alone required significant space, not to mention individual quarters, storage, and the engine room."
Bulma stepped forward, tablet in hand. "With Nappa's help, we were able to decipher the Frieza Force's universal language system. We've pinpointed Namek's coordinates precisely."
She tapped the screen, bringing up a star map. "At maximum speed, we should reach Namek in approximately two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Vegeta repeated, his scowl deepening. "The pods could have made the journey in less than a week."
"The pods were also tiny," Bulma snapped back. "Unless you wanted to spend a week in suspended animation crammed into a space the size of a washing machine, this is the best we could do."
Toji offered a gentle smile. "Two weeks is fine. That's already incredibly fast for a ship this size."
Despite his outward calm, internally Toji was seething with impatience. 'Two more weeks of restraint. Two more weeks of holding back. Just perfect.'
Chi-Chi stepped forward, adjusting Gohan's collar with fretful hands. "Are you sure you've packed everything? Extra underwear? Your study books?"
"Yes, Mom," Gohan replied, blushing slightly as Krillin snickered beside him.
"Don't worry, Chi-Chi," Goku assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take care of him."
Chi-Chi's eyes welled with tears. "You'd better, Goku! And make sure he studies at least four hours every day!"
Ox-King placed his massive hands on his daughter's shoulders. "They'll be fine, Chi-Chi. Gohan's strong, just like his father."
As the group began moving toward the ship's entrance, Toji suddenly spoke up. "Wait."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"I think we need to reconsider who's going," he said firmly. "Bulma, this mission is too dangerous for you. And Gohan - you're still a child, regardless of your power. Piccolo, your life is connected to the Dragon Balls. If something happens to you, we lose them permanently."
Bulma's eyes flashed dangerously. "Excuse me? This is MY ship, designed and built by MY family. I'm going, and that's final."
"I want to help!" Gohan protested, stepping forward. "I've been training hard with Dad and Mr. Piccolo!"
Piccolo's expression remained stoic. "If we fail, Frieza will eventually come to Earth anyway. The Dragon Balls won't be active again for another year. By then, it will be too late. We need every fighter we have."
Toji's jaw tightened. Something felt wrong - a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that had been growing stronger over the past day. Like something unexpected was waiting for them, something he couldn't anticipate.
"Toji," Goku interjected, his voice unusually serious. "They've earned the right to come. We're stronger together."
After a long moment, Toji sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if something happens, remember you brought this on yourselves. I can't promise I'll be able to protect everyone at once."
"We can take care of ourselves," Bulma insisted, brushing past him toward the ship's entrance.
Master Roshi stepped forward, handing Krillin a small pouch. "Senzu beans," he explained. "Only six, so use them wisely."
Panchy dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Do be careful, everyone! And don't forget to eat properly!"
With final hugs and goodbyes exchanged, the traveling party - Toji, Goku, Vegeta, Nappa, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and Bulma - boarded the ship. The ramp retracted behind them as Bulma made her way to the control panel.
"Everyone strap in," she instructed, sliding into the pilot's seat. "Takeoff might be a bit bumpy."
They secured themselves in the seats surrounding the central command area. Bulma's fingers danced across the controls, and the ship hummed to life beneath them.
"Capsule Corporation Interstellar Vessel 1, preparing for liftoff," she announced with professional crispness. "T-minus ten, nine, eight..."
As the countdown reached zero, the engines roared. The ship shuddered, then lifted smoothly from the ground, accelerating rapidly through the atmosphere.
Within minutes, they had left Earth's blue sphere behind, the vastness of space opening before them.
"Wow..." Gohan breathed, pressing his face against one of the viewports. "It's beautiful!"
Krillin joined him, eyes wide. "I never thought I'd see space with my own eyes."
Even Goku seemed momentarily stunned by the endless expanse of stars stretching in all directions. "Amazing!"
Toji stood back from the others, gazing out a different viewport.
Internally, he was just as awed by the majesty of space - the infinite blackness punctuated by distant stars, the occasional planet drifting past as they accelerated to cruising speed.
It was one thing to see images or depictions in a show; it was entirely another to witness it firsthand.
"Alright!" Bulma announced, rising from the pilot's seat now that the ship was safely on its automated course. "Let me give you the grand tour."
She led them through the ship's various sections - the kitchen and dining area, stocked with enough food to satisfy even the Saiyans' appetites; the medical bay with its advanced healing technology; the individual sleeping quarters, each with its own bathroom facilities.
"And this," Bulma said proudly, opening a large circular door, "is the gravity chamber."
The room was massive, taking up nearly a third of the ship's interior. The walls, floor, and ceiling were reinforced with a special alloy, and a control panel stood in the center.
"It can generate artificial gravity up to one hundred times Earth's normal gravity," Bulma explained. "Though I'd recommend starting much lower unless you want to be pancaked."
Goku's eyes lit up with excitement. "This is perfect!" He scooped Gohan up onto his shoulders, eliciting a surprised cry that quickly turned to laughter from his son. "Come on, Gohan! King Kai's planet was ten times Earth's gravity, and that was great training. Let's see what you can handle!"
"The instructions are next to the control panel!" Bulma called after them as Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Nappa filed into the chamber. "Don't break anything!"
Toji remained behind, leaning against the viewport, his gaze fixed on the stars streaking by as the ship hurtled through space.
Bulma approached him, her head tilted curiously. "Aren't you going with them? I thought you'd be first in line for the gravity chamber."
Toji shook his head, his expression distant. "Not interested right now."
"Why not?"
He sighed, still not looking at her. "I already have too much power. I need to let it out, not build more. I don't want to accidentally destroy the ship."
Bulma shivered slightly at the mental image - Toji throwing a punch too hard during training, the ship exploding, all of them floating in the vacuum of space, suffocating to death.
"Well, you can't just stand here looking like you're in a world of your own," she declared, wrapping her arm around his and pulling him away from the viewport. "We should do something fun."
As she tugged him along, her hand slid down to grasp his. Toji found himself noticing how soft her skin felt against his calloused palm, the warmth of her fingers intertwined with his own.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked, allowing himself to be led through the ship's corridor.
"We finished Avengers: Endgame two days ago," Bulma replied, "but I have a show I've been putting off called Supernatural. It's quite old, but it has fifteen seasons. Should keep us busy for the next couple of weeks until we reach Namek."
'Huh, that exists too. I really need to see what else is out in this world. I haven't rewatched it in a bit so should be fun,' Toji thought to himself.
They entered the room assigned to Bulma, which was notably larger than the others - a perk of being the ship's designer.
A king-sized bed dominated the space, with a large screen mounted on the opposite wall.
They sat on the edge of the bed, and Bulma grabbed the remote, cycling through options until she found the show.
Toji glanced at her as she focused on the screen, her blue hair framing her face perfectly.
He found himself wondering how Yamcha could have been foolish enough to let someone like Bulma slip through his fingers.
She was smart - brilliant, really. Beautiful without effort. Kind when it mattered. Loyal to a fault. Her emotional intelligence matched her scientific genius.
"She's just... perfect," he muttered without realizing he'd spoken aloud.
Bulma turned, eyebrows raised. "Who is?"
Toji froze, suddenly aware that his thoughts had escaped his lips. "It's nothing important."
"Oh no you don't," Bulma insisted, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "Did you just call me perfect?"
Toji mock-scowled and looked away, crossing his arms. "If you heard me, then you did. I don't need to repeat myself."
"But I'm curious," she pressed, her tone teasing. "What makes me perfect? Is it my face? My eyes? Or is it how incredibly smart I am?"
Toji turned to face her smile, his expression suddenly serious. "Can I ask you something? If it's too personal, you can refuse to answer."
Bulma's playful demeanor faded, replaced by a slight frown. "What do you want to ask?"
"Why didn't things work out between you and your previous boyfriend?" Toji asked directly. "Even though I've only known you a short while, you seem smart, confident, kind, loyal to your friends and family, beautiful..."
Toji had always been this way - straightforward and unembellished when it came to stating what he perceived as truth.
Embarrassment over such matters had never been part of his character- even before becoming the strongest being in the galaxy.
Bulma's expression turned melancholic. She remained quiet for a long moment, staring down at her hands.
Toji opened his mouth to tell her to forget the question, but she spoke first.
"It was because..." she began softly, "because I was saving myself for when we were married."
She looked up, her blue eyes reflecting a distant memory. "When I first met Goku, I was searching for the Dragon Balls to wish for the perfect boyfriend - a prince charming."
"Growing up, I was always smart enough to realize that people only approached me because of my family name, because of being a Briefs. None of them truly saw me for me."
She hugged herself lightly. "I wanted that fairy tale ending. Finding my prince, getting married, having children, building a family together. I wanted it to be real - to be sure it was real."
Her voice grew quieter. "But Yamcha... I don't know. Maybe he got impatient. One day I went to surprise him - I'd bought him a new car and even customized it myself - and I found him with another woman in his apartment."
As she spoke, tears began welling in her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks. Toji froze momentarily, uncertain how to comfort a crying woman betrayed by someone she trusted.
Acting on instinct, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
Bulma seemed surprised by the gesture but then buried her face against him, her tears flowing more freely. Toji gently shushed her, running his hand through her hair as she cried.
Eventually, she pulled back, wiping her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.
Suddenly, her expression shifted to embarrassment as she noticed the wet spot on Toji's shirt where her tears and - mortifyingly - some snot had soaked through.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, hastily wiping her face with her sleeve. "I ruined your shirt! Let me get you a new one!"
Before Toji could protest, she jumped up and ran to the closet, rummaging through it frantically.
Toji watched her go, his expression darkening slightly as he thought about Yamcha. How could anyone be stupid enough to betray a woman like Bulma?
When he meets the guy, he'll make sure to teach him a lesson about loyalty.
Ungrateful and disloyal people disgusted him to the core.
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(Author note: So we have left for Namek! Finally!
Oh yeah, what did you think of Bulma and Toji's conversation?
It's really unclear what happened, but all we know is that Yamcha cheated on Bulma and well, man It just doesn't make sense to me why he would even do that.
The only thing I can think of is he didn't control his hormones and well, did what he did when Bulma wanted to save herself.
The saving herself I base on the whole her wanting the fairy tale ending, with her perfect prince boyfriend she wanted to wish for- and in fairy tales it normally happening after marriage,
And Bulma's whole reason for even wanting that was because no one really wanted her for her but for her family name from what I remember.
But then with Vegeta because of what happened with Yamcha she in canon just threw herself at him to not lose him too.
Do tell me what you think of it.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)