"Let me take a look at that Dragon Ball," Bulma said, reaching out her hand.
Ken passed the Dragon Ball to her.
Bulma studied it carefully, then dug around the warehouse and pulled out a strange-looking device. She pointed it at the Dragon Ball and examined it.
"I've got it!" Bulma's childish face lit up with excitement. "There's a special wavelength coming from this Dragon Ball! If we build a device that tracks that wavelength, we can find the other six!"
"Oh? You can make that?" Ken blinked in surprise.
"Of course! I'm a genius," Bulma giggled. "I can finish it in a day. It's not that hard. Let's head back to the lab."
"Alright." Ken nodded.
Bulma really was a genius—only five years old and already capable of building a Dragon Radar.
Truly impressive.
Ken couldn't help but admire her brilliance. Everyone has their role in life—Bulma was clearly born for research and science.
Gohan in the original timeline, for example, had the potential to be an exceptional warrior, but his mom steered him into becoming a scholar instead. And honestly, when it came to science, Gohan was galaxies behind Bulma. But in battle… well, that wasn't even a fair comparison.
As Ken and Bulma exited the warehouse, they found Broly lying on the ground, covered in smoke and laughing hysterically.
The robot, Ai, was out of juice and completely unresponsive.
"What happened here?" Bulma rushed over and checked Ai's power level. "Huh? Only 2% battery left?! That's impossible! Ai has a standby time of ten years! How could the power run out this fast?!"
"Whatchu lookin' at?" Broly grinned and blurted out the same line.
Ai's last bit of energy sparked out in a weak arc of electricity.
But before it could even hit Broly, the spark fizzled out midair.
"Wait… Don't tell me you've been letting Ai zap you this whole time?" Bulma was speechless. "That kind of voltage won't kill you, but it still hurts!"
"No… not painful!" Broly shook his head.
"Weren't you hungry? I told you to ask Ai for food—how did it end up electrocuting you?" Ken asked.
"It said… I… then…" Broly still wasn't good with words.
"You know what? Just stop talking. I've got the audio recorded." Bulma walked over and pressed a button on Ai's body.
Immediately, the robot played back the entire conversation between it and Broly.
After hearing it, Ken silently wiped his forehead. He even started wondering whether it was a good idea to train Broly as a God of Destruction.
If I appoint a guy this goofy as a Destroyer, wouldn't the whole universe laugh at me?
"Hey, Ken," Bulma pulled him aside and whispered, "Your companion… he's not dumb, is he?"
"He's had it rough," Ken sighed. "He grew up on a planet without even water—cold, starving, barely surviving. That's why he comes across a little… slow."
"Couldn't he have just eaten meat?" Bulma asked, genuinely curious.
Ken: "…"
…
It only took Bulma a single day—under the guidance of her father—to finish building the Dragon Radar.
Ken took a look at her completed device and was amazed. It looked almost identical to the one she would invent 11 years later in the future—same circular, palm-sized structure, same button at the top.
Once pressed, the radar displayed the exact locations of all nearby Dragon Balls on a small screen.
"Look, Ken! That dot in the center shows the position of the Dragon Ball we already have. Once we find the other six dots, we'll have the full set!" Bulma said excitedly, pointing to the six glowing points on the screen.
"Broly, come here," Ken called to Broly, who was lying on the grass staring blankly at the clouds.
Broly got up and ran over.
Ken showed him how to use the Dragon Radar.
Broly scratched his head, nodding in half-understanding.
"I'm giving you a very important mission," Ken said. "Take this Dragon Radar and go find the first Dragon Ball. But remember—don't break the radar… and don't kill anyone."
Broly gave a serious nod.
Ken then strapped a small camera to Broly's head.
The camera was set to record footage of Broly's Dragon Ball search.
Broly looked down at the camera, curiously studying it—then grinned like a child.
"Go on," Ken said, handing him the radar and pointing toward one of the distant Dragon Ball locations.
Broly scratched his head again, then suddenly took off into the sky, zooming toward the horizon.
The reason Ken sent Broly to look for the Dragon Balls was simple—he wanted to see if the guy had more than just raw power.
If Broly couldn't even handle finding a Dragon Ball… then maybe Ken should just send him back to Planet Vampa and bring Vegeta over instead.
He wasn't about to train a clueless guy to become a God of Destruction.
"Ken… do you really think he'll manage? What if he can't even find his way back?" Bulma didn't seem too confident. She still thought Broly looked like a walking block of silly energy.
"We'll see," Ken replied.
Even if Broly got lost, Ken could always track him by sensing his ki. No big deal.
"So, Ken, what kind of wish are you planning to make?" Bulma asked, her big eyes sparkling.
"I want to give Broly the ability to survive in space," Ken answered honestly. "That way, he can travel and train with me throughout the universe."
"Huh? That's your wish?" Bulma tilted her head, her ponytail swaying. "Kind of lame…"
"Let's see if he can find a Dragon Ball first," Ken added.
Ken believed Broly wasn't truly dumb—just inexperienced. With enough exposure to the world, he'd eventually adapt.
…
High in the sky.
Broly soared at top speed, Dragon Radar in hand, flying toward the first target Ken had pointed out.
As he flew, he kept glancing down at the radar to check his progress.
Twenty minutes later…
Broly looked down again and saw a glowing dot appear in the center of the radar.
He scratched his head and looked toward the surface—there, nestled below, was a tiny island.
The island was small and scenic, with a unique little house sitting on it.
Broly looked again at the radar, then back at the dot, then at the island below.
After a moment's hesitation, he made his decision.
He descended from the sky and landed squarely on the little island.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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