As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky still burned with the last golden rays of twilight.
In the Capsule Corporation's spacious yard, a sleek jet slowly descended.
Whoosh—!
With a soft hiss, the hatch opened, and Bulla, full of energy, leapt out playfully from the aircraft.
"Mom!! I'm home!" The little girl called out joyfully.
Hearing her daughter's voice, Bulma, who had been waiting in the yard, rushed forward and wrapped Bulla in a warm hug.
At the same time, deep within the compound, Vegeta was training furiously inside the Gravity Room. But the moment he heard Bulla's cheerful shout, his attention shifted.
Drawn by the sound like a moth to flame, he ended his session, quickly changed out of his drenched training clothes, washed up, and slipped into fresh attire before flying straight toward the yard.
"Dad!"
Bulla's affectionate voice felt like an oasis in a desert, softening even the proud Saiyan prince's heart. Vegeta's usually intense gaze softened with warmth. Just as he reached out to hug his daughter, she turned on her heel and marched straight back to the plane.
Vegeta froze mid-step, his arms awkwardly outstretched.
His proud smile stiffened into a twitch, caught halfway between joy and embarrassment.
Bulma caught the entire scene out of the corner of her eye. Turning quickly so he wouldn't see, she squinted and stifled a laugh. Vegeta's face flushed with a rare shade of red. He quickly drew his arms back and cleared his throat, trying to recover his dignity.
"Come on out, everyone!" Bulla called back toward the jet.
All eyes turned as three small figures hopped down from the aircraft.
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie! We're Bulla's classmates! Please take care of us!" They chirped in unison, bowing politely.
The three newcomers were none other than the Pilaf Gang, though now they appeared as children.
A year before the Androids appeared, they had managed to gather the Dragon Balls. But a careless wish had turned them into children. Then, after the Android threat emerged and Piccolo vanished, the Dragon Balls became inert.
With their grand plans for world domination dashed, they had no choice but to abandon their old ambitions.
Reborn as children and stripped of their influence, they quietly gave up their villainous ways. Left with few options, they decided to turn over a new leaf. If they were kids again, they might as well act like it.
They worked odd jobs, scraped together tuition, and enrolled in school, eventually ending up in the same class as Bulla.
Through Pilaf's scheming, they soon learned who she was. The daughter of Bulma, heir to Capsule Corporation and the richest family in the world! Armed with this knowledge, they approached Bulla with intent, hoping to worm their way into her good graces.
Now standing before Bulma, the trio, two kids and a dog, squirmed under her gaze.
Bulma eyed them closely, her expression unreadable. Her stare seemed to strip them bare as she scanned them from head to toe.
Pilaf straightened up in alarm, heart thudding.
(Oh no… does she recognize us?!)
Mai's expression twitched. A flicker of guilt crossed her face as old memories of defying Bulma flashed in her mind.
(Could she be on to us already?)
Shu nudged Pilaf with a paw as beads of sweat trickled down his face. Pilaf remained hunched over, trembling slightly.
(Crap! If she finds out who we really are, there's no way we'll ever be friends with Bulla!)
(Waaaah! Bulla said her family has all kinds of delicious food… Are we going to lose our chance?!)
Bulma's gaze remained locked on them.
Pilaf snuck a peek, only to find her stepping forward, approaching with serious intent.
The trio instinctively shrank back, nerves climbing. Their chance to blend in might be slipping away...
"You must be Bulla's new friends, right? She's always talking about you! Come on now, lift your heads, you're all being way too formal!"
Hearing Bulma's warm voice, the three children quickly straightened up, exchanging nervous glances.
They smiled awkwardly at each other, then turned toward Bulla.
Bulla beamed. "Haha! You don't have to be so tense! My mom's super nice!"
Bulma nodded with a smile. "Bulla, why don't you take them inside to play? I've already told the kitchen to prepare something. When you're tired, come eat."
"Okay! Let's go!" Bulla said enthusiastically, leading the Pilaf Gang into the house.
With the kids gone, only Bulma and Vegeta remained in the yard.
Bulma sidled up next to Vegeta, giving him a teasing look. "What's the matter, proud Saiyan prince?"
She had noticed the faint, clean scent lingering on him; he'd clearly gone out of his way to freshen up before Bulla came home. That habit had started after a particular day. Bulla had come home excited, running up for a hug, only to recoil at the overwhelming smell of sweat from Vegeta's post-training body.
Vegeta remembered the look on her face vividly.
Since then, every time Bulla returned from school, he made sure to clean up before seeing her. But today, his daughter had ignored him in favor of greeting her friends, and the hug never came.
Vegeta's disappointment was subtle but real. And of course, Bulma saw right through him.
His face flushed slightly as he crossed his arms and turned away. "Tch. You talk too much."
Just as he began walking back toward the Gravity Room, a familiar energy approached.
High above the Capsule Corporation, a golden cloud floated down from the sky.
It was the Flying Nimbus. Son Gohan stood atop it, waving down. "Bulma Obasan! Vegeta Ojisan!"
Thud—!
Gohan landed lightly, hopping off the Nimbus with practiced ease. He gave it a small wave. "Thanks, Nimbus!"
Vegeta's gaze narrowed slightly as he examined Gohan, whom he hadn't seen in nearly seven years.
He quietly assessed the energy radiating from him.
(Hmm... not bad. Looks like Gohan hasn't been slacking off. So Trunks didn't swipe my Gravity Machine for nothing after all. One day, I want to test his strength myself.)
"Gohan!" Bulma greeted him. "What brings you here? Isn't Trunks with you?"
Gohan scratched his head and glanced around. "Trunks? I thought he was at home."
"Actually, he hasn't come by to train in a while," he added thoughtfully.
"Bulma Obasan, I came to ask you for a favor."
Bulma raised an eyebrow. Gohan rarely asked for anything, especially not tech-related. Usually, Saiyans just wanted new training gear or upgraded Gravity Rooms.
"You want another Gravity Machine?" She asked instinctively.
Gohan shook his head. "No, nothing like that."
He quickly explained what had happened earlier that day, how he had rescued someone and didn't want to be recognized so easily again.
"Bulma Obasan, I was wondering if you could help me design a new combat outfit, something that makes it hard for people to tell who I am."
Bulma grinned and thumped her chest. "You've come to the right person. Leave it to me!"
Whoosh—!
A figure suddenly appeared overhead, descending from the sky. It was Trunks, scanning the yard below.
"Oh? Gohan's here too? Looks like things are getting lively."
(End of Chapter)
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