When Mrs. Brief finally left the veranda, humming softly to herself, the scent of tea and flowers lingered in the air.
Buu stayed behind, eyes lost in the dark horizon. The night was quiet — too quiet, as if even the stars were holding their breath.
He didn't turn when the door slid open.
Bulma and Mai stepped out together, the faint blue glow from the Capsule Corp lights catching their faces. Both of them had that look — the kind that said no more excuses.
"Talk," Bulma said flatly, arms crossed. "This time, everything. Why the rift happened. Who those people chasing you were. And who the hell Fu is."
Buu tilted his head slightly, a wry smile ghosting across his lips. "Fu…"
"Start with him," Mai said coldly.
Buu's voice was low, calm — too calm.
"Fu is... let's say, a scientist who turned the entire universe into his laboratory. He feeds on anomalies — studies them, twists them, pushes time itself until it starts to scream. He saw me as an opportunity…"
Bulma frowned. "So the rift—"
"Was my fault." Buu said. "I wanted to rewrite time. But the fabric of reality only stretches so far before it tears. The rift was that tear… and I was standing right in it."
Mai's voice was quiet but sharp. "And the Time Patrol?"
Buu exhaled slowly. "They call themselves guardians of time — an organization built to prevent anomalies like Fu and me. Once, they were protectors. Now… I suppose they are an obstacle."
He gave a small shrug.
Bulma blinked, processing. "So you're saying they're after you because you've changed the future?"
"No," Buu corrected softly. "The past. I come from the future — or at least I was. Their mission is to preserve the original flow of history, no matter how many timelines they have to erase to do it. To them, I'm a contaminant." He paused, letting the words sink in. "And now… so are you."
Mai's eyes narrowed. "Us?"
His gaze flicked between them. "Remember? You are now part Majin."
Bulma stiffened. "So what, we're like you now?"
"Not like me," Buu said quietly. "But not human anymore either."
"Let me guess," Bulma cut in. "So if they find us—"
He smiled faintly. "Exactly."
Mai folded her arms. "And if we don't learn?"
Silence fell again. The hum of Capsule Corp's machines filled the background — a mechanical heartbeat beneath their words.
Bulma's voice was low, almost a whisper. "You really broke time."
Mai crossed her arms. "So what now? We just… live like fugitives?"
Buu's gaze lifted to them. "No. We grow stronger. In time, maybe they will not be our enemy. There is no eternal enemy."
Later that night
The words still echoed in their minds.
Bulma sat hunched over a console, fingers racing over glowing keys. Lines of code, energy readings, and genetic diagnostics filled the holographic display.Mai stood nearby, her reflection split across the polished metal floor.
"We can't just take his word for it," Bulma muttered. "If we're changing, I want to know how."
Mai nodded once. "Then let's test it."
The chamber lights dimmed. Diagnostic rings slid from the ceiling and locked around them, projecting faint violet fields. Energy sensors flared to life.
"Alright," Bulma said. "I'll monitor first. Try a basic kinetic burst."
Mai raised her hand, focusing. Her eyes shimmered faintly pink — and the air around her rippled.
With a sharp exhale, she released it.
The training drone twenty meters away exploded into dust..
Bulma's jaw tightened. "That was well beyond any measurable human output. You didn't even strain."
Mai flexed her fingers. "It didn't feel like strain. It felt like... instinct."
"Instinct?" Bulma echoed.
"Like the power already knows what I want," Mai said. "I just have to think it."
Bulma bit her lip, typing faster. "Your cells are adapting in real time — you're literally becoming a living generator.."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," Bulma said, glancing up, "the more you push your limits, the more your body evolves to keep up."
Mai smirked. "Sounds useful."
Bulma hesitated. "Or dangerous. Buu said Majin energy reacts to will. If your emotions spike—"
"Then I lose control," Mai finished.
Bulma nodded, quiet for a beat. "We'll need to map it. Both of us."
Mai's gaze softened, just for a moment. "You're scared."
Bulma forced a grin. "I'm a scientist, Mai. Fear just means I'm not done learning yet."
Mai exhaled, amused. "That's one way to put it."
They traded places — Mai at the console, Bulma stepping into the scanner's ring.
The hum of machinery rose. For a moment, her hair lifted, weightless, as pink light coiled under her skin like living veins of fire.
Mai's eyes widened. "Your energy signature just spiked."
Bulma's voice was a whisper. "It's responding to me."
Then, in a single flash, the lights burst and went dark.
When the emergency lights flickered back to life, Buu was already outside, leaning against the garden fence as if he'd known exactly when they'd emerge.
He turned, half-smiling. "Hungry?"