"It's nothing."
Seeing his wife and child, Dr. Brief smiled gently and introduced the two newcomers:
"These two children are from outer space and are guests in our home. We were just testing a device—there was a small accident!"
"Welcome, little ones!"
Mrs. Brief looked at the scattered mess around them, her gaze lingering briefly on Rhode and Aira, then she smiled warmly and welcomed them.
"Mommy, I want to get down!"
The little girl in Mrs. Brief's arms whimpered in a soft, milky voice. She wriggled free, stumbled toward Rhode and Aira, and looked up at them with wide-eyed curiosity.
Is this Little Bulma?
Seeing the child's short blue hair and knowing this was the Brief household, Rhode quickly guessed that the three- or four-year-old before him was indeed Bulma—the girl who would eventually set the Dragon Ball story in motion.
"Hello, little sister! Here, this toy is for you!"
Little Bulma accepted the gift obediently, her small hands gripping it. Rhode found her utterly fascinating and delighted in this small moment.
Aira, standing nearby, scrutinized Bulma. Noting that this Earth child's combat power was barely a single digit, she pouted in confusion—she couldn't understand why Rhode was fussing over something so insignificant.
"What's your name, little sister?"
Not missing Aira's reaction, Rhode smiled faintly, crouched, and asked Bulma gently.
"I… I'm Bulma!" the little girl replied shyly, not yet outgoing like her older self would be.
Rhode pinched her cheek gently, then stood and approached Dr. Brief, handing over the collected items and scientific data:
"Doctor, thank you for your help. These are my rewards."
"What are these? Hmm? There's even Gravity Chamber data in here!"
Dr. Brief eagerly examined the technological items Rhode brought. The data included knowledge he'd never imagined or encountered, and he became almost delirious with excitement, gesturing wildly and muttering to himself.
The Gravity Chamber technology, although not yet present on Earth, was straightforward compared to universal standards and could easily be built.
After a long while, Dr. Brief emerged from his frenzy, his face still glowing with excitement:
"Little Rhode, don't worry—I will definitely build your Gravity Chamber! And if you ever bring me new technology again, remember to come to me first!"
"Uh… okay, Doc…"
"All right, make yourselves at home. Madam, please entertain them!"
Before Rhode could respond, Dr. Brief hugged the items and dashed to his lab, completely absorbed despite the earlier destruction caused by Aira's power burst.
Rhode glanced at Mrs. Brief and Little Bulma beside him, slightly bewildered at how smoothly things had gone.
"Hehehe, don't mind him—he's always like this!" Mrs. Brief said sweetly, noticing the two children's stunned expressions. She invited them inside to have tea in a part of the house that remained intact.
Rhode awkwardly declined:
"Thank you for the invitation, Madam, but we have matters to attend to and won't trouble you for now."
With that, Rhode grabbed Aira, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the distance.
"Rhode, are you planning to train in the Gravity Chamber?"
Aira, having only seen Rhode collect the scientific data, now understood its purpose. Still, she was skeptical:
"Is a Gravity Chamber really useful?"
Rod rolled his eyes.
"Remove the 'is it.' It's absolutely useful. If you can move and fight freely in hundreds—or even thousands—of times Earth's gravity… congratulations! The current Frieza is nothing but trash in front of you!"
"You're not lying?!"
Aira's eyes widened. The thought of training to surpass Frieza, gaining hundreds of thousands in combat power, seemed almost unreal.
"No, provided you can truly move and fight without hindrance under extreme gravity."
With Rhode's confirmation, Aira's excitement surged. She couldn't wait to enter the Gravity Chamber, eager to train and reach a point where defeating Frieza would be effortless.
But then Aira realized something was off:
"Then why did we come to Earth? There are countless planets in the universe that can build Gravity Chambers. Why take the long way around?"
"Naturally, this planet possesses something that other planets don't!" Rhode replied confidently.
Gravity Chambers were indeed easy enough to build, but Dragon Balls only existed on a few planets—and Earth was almost completely safe from threats. Beyond that, the training methods, Senzu Beans, and Dragon Balls were exactly what Rhode was determined to obtain.
"Found it!"
Aira was about to question him further, but she noticed the look of delight on Rhode's face. Without a word, he adjusted their course and shot quickly toward the ocean.
A quarter of an hour later, they arrived at a secluded island. There, an old man with a hunched back leaned heavily on his cane, his eyes wide as he watched the two young children land on his territory, sweat beading on his forehead.
Was the terrifying aura I sensed coming from this little girl?
Master Roshi was shaken. Even as a grandmaster whose mind rarely wavered at ordinary events, the power emanating from Aira's small body made his knees weak.
"What… what do you want to do?"
Rhode, seeing the old man's reaction, smirked slightly. He didn't waste time with pleasantries. Instead, he looked straight at Master Roshi and stated their purpose plainly:
"Master Roshi, my name is Rhode, and this is Aira. We've come admiring your reputation, to learn your method of Ki cultivation."
"Learn cultivation?"
At Rhode's words, Master Roshi's tension eased. The cold sweat on his cheeks subsided, though his eyes remained fixed warily on Aira, the tiny girl radiating such overwhelming power.
"Are… are you sure you're not making fun of an old man like me?"