Capsule Corporation – Bulma's Lab, Late at Night.
Chi-Chi walked in, holding a steaming cup of coffee, curious about what Bulma was up to at this hour.
"Bulma, it's already so late—aren't you going to sleep?"
Bulma pulled off her welding visor and glanced up.
"Oh, it's you, Chi-Chi. Is Bra asleep? Goku too?"
Chi-Chi nodded.
"Mm-hmm. They're both fast asleep. I just came to check on you. Thought you might need a little pick-me-up."
She handed over the coffee.
"Thanks. Don't just stand there, sit down!" Bulma took the cup and sipped it.
Chi-Chi sat beside her, eyes drawn to the disassembled pieces of a familiar-looking device on the table.
"Hey… isn't that Raditz's scouter? Did it break? Are you fixing it for him?"
Bulma shook her head.
"It's not broken. But it's a Frieza Force product—its data uplinks straight to Frieza's command servers."
"I'm modifying it to sever that connection so we can use it safely."
Chi-Chi blinked in confusion.
"Bulma… I understand every word you just said, but I have no idea what they mean when you put them together."
Bulma chuckled, then casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it with practiced ease. She took a drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and said,
"Okay, think of it like this."
"This scouter is like one of those fruit-branded smartphones."
"Everything you say near it—it hears. Word for word. Constantly uploading your data to the company's servers."
"It's basically a giant spy."
"Same thing happens with most smartphones. It's called big data collection."
Chi-Chi's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Oh! I know that! Like when I casually say I'm running out of tights—and suddenly my phone starts showing me ads for luxury tights everywhere."
"Or when I complain I've gained weight, and for the next week it's all diet pills."
Bulma nodded.
"Exactly. But phone companies collect that data to sell you stuff—to make money."
"This scouter, though… it's a Frieza Force tool. Everything it picks up gets sent back to the empire's data banks."
"And that's an army, Chi-Chi."
Chi-Chi's face went pale.
"An… army?"
"You mean all the stuff we said earlier—like 'let's kill Frieza'—it all got uploaded to his network?!"
"Yep," Bulma confirmed. "Exactly that."
Chi-Chi suddenly understood everything.
"No wonder Raditz looked like he'd seen a ghost when you said we should lead the Saiyans in rebellion…"
"So all of Earth's secrets have already been exposed to Frieza's forces?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Bulma replied.
Chi-Chi swallowed.
"But… is Frieza really that powerful? Stronger than Goku?"
Bulma didn't answer right away. Instead, she countered with a question.
"How much gravity can Goku handle in the training room these days?"
Chi-Chi thought for a moment.
"He stopped increasing it once he adapted to 200x gravity. Lately, he's been training more creatively—fighting on water, airwalking, stuff like that."
Bulma nodded thoughtfully.
"Makes sense. Goku must've realized you can't just brute-force progress with the same training over and over."
Chi-Chi agreed.
"Exactly. Doing the same thing too long makes progress slow. We all know that."
"But honestly, it feels like we're invincible already. Goku keeps saying there's still room to grow, though."
Bulma smiled.
"There is still room. For all of you."
"Once I finish reprogramming this scouter, I can start tracking your power levels and help tailor your training properly."
Chi-Chi's eyes lit up.
"Ooh! Something new to try."
"Oh, right—about Frieza. You didn't answer me."
Bulma stared at the ceiling, then turned back to her.
"Let's put it this way."
"If I converted your strength, Goku's, Krillin's, Tien's—everyone's—into numbers and added them up?"
"The total still wouldn't be one-tenth of Frieza's power."
Chi-Chi's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"That can't be right! Not even one-tenth?"
Bulma nodded.
"Afraid so…"
Chi-Chi suddenly looked worried.
"If Frieza's that strong… maybe we shouldn't bother teaming up with Vegeta or rebelling. I mean, Goku's basically an Earthling now. Why not just stay out of it?"
Bulma gave a small smile.
"Don't be afraid, Chi-Chi."
"Yes, Frieza's way stronger than any of you right now… but I think Goku's close to a breakthrough."
"One that could make him even stronger than Frieza."
Chi-Chi blinked.
"A breakthrough? What kind?"
Bulma leaned in.
"There's a Saiyan legend. I bet Raditz has heard of it."
"Once every thousand years, a Super Saiyan is born—a warrior so powerful he can shatter planets with a wave of his hand."
"But through my research, I've found hints that this transformation might not be just legend."
"With the right training… it might be achievable."
Chi-Chi blinked again, confused.
"Wait… did you actually research this?"
Bulma chuckled.
"Eh… call it creative synthesis. Some of it came from Jaco. Some from my sister. I pieced it together from different rumors."
Chi-Chi's expression went flat.
"So it's all legend."
"What if it's nonsense? What if Goku can't become a Super Saiyan?"
Bulma pointed to the disassembled scouter on the table.
"We don't have a choice anymore."
"Earth's already been exposed."
Chi-Chi stood up, visibly agitated.
"Ugh, that Raditz! Why'd he have to come here and mess everything up?"
"We were living peacefully, and now this!"
"Wait a sec—you're the one who talked about rebelling!"
Bulma shrugged.
"To be fair, I didn't know the scouter was listening."
Chi-Chi frowned.
"You think Frieza took your words seriously?"
"Maybe he thought you were bluffing?"
Bulma laughed, crushed her cigarette in the tray, and patted Chi-Chi on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Chi-Chi."
"This is how the universe works—if you're weak, you get crushed."
"It's true of countries, and it's true of planets too."
"If we just hide here forever, what's to stop someone else from conquering Earth, like King Piccolo once did?"
"With space travel getting faster, stronger enemies are inevitable."
"We can't run. We have to grow stronger."
"You've been training for years—now's the time to prove it."
"And if we fail—"
Bulma smiled.
"We still have the Dragon Balls."
Chi-Chi's eyes lit up.
"You know, the more I talk to you, the more I realize just how amazing you are."
"You're way smarter than me or Goku."
Bulma laughed.
"Well, this is my specialty. You two are the martial arts masters."
"When it's time to fight, you'll defend Earth."
"I'll handle the strategy."
"Together, we make a great team."
Chi-Chi nodded confidently.
"Yeah. We're a team."
Bulma picked up her tools and lowered her visor.
"Alright, you go rest. I'll finish up here."
Chi-Chi turned to leave—only for Bulma to stop her again.
"Wait—one more thing!"
Chi-Chi turned.
"Hm?"
"I'm pulling an all-nighter. So tomorrow, after everyone finishes training, tell them to come to Capsule Corp."
Chi-Chi tilted her head.
"What for?"
Bulma grinned.
"Power level testing."
The Next Day – Capsule Corp. Back Garden
Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu—and even Raditz—were present.
Bulma held up the newly modified scouter.
"I've reprogrammed this thing—cut its link to Frieza's servers. It's now standalone."
"I also translated the interface into Earth's language."
Raditz looked impressed.
"You're incredible Sister-in-law… you rewrote Frieza Force tech in one night?"
"Call me Bulma, not sister-in-law," she replied.
"Yes, Bulma!" Raditz quickly corrected himself.
Bulma activated the scouter.
"Raditz, your power level is 1508."
Raditz nodded.
"Yeah… been stuck there a while."
Bulma turned to Krillin.
"Alright, Krillin. Power up a bit."
Krillin nodded, took a deep breath—and let out a fierce shout.
A whirlwind erupted around him as he controlled his rising Ki.
The scouter beeped wildly.
"Whoa! Not bad—118,925!"
Raditz staggered back in disbelief.
"What did you just say?!"
Bulma checked again.
"Exactly 118,925."
"Impossible!" Raditz gasped.
"This model caps out at 20,000—anything above that should be unreadable!"
Bulma smirked.
"I forgot to mention—my version now reads from 1 to one billion."
Raditz nearly fainted.
Then Chi-Chi stepped up.
"My turn!"
Without waiting, she powered up.
Her aura erupted, winds swirling violently—until Goku jumped in front of Bulma to shield her.
Once the air calmed, Bulma checked again.
"Wow… no way!"
Chi-Chi beamed.
"What's my number?"
Bulma scratched her head.
"168,000… That's higher than Krillin?"
Chi-Chi blinked.
"Huh? That can't be right. I always lose to him in sparring."
Goku added,
"Krillin wasn't using full power just now."
Everyone turned to Krillin.
He rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, yeah. Goku figured me out. Hehe…"
Bulma let out a sigh of relief.
"That explains it. I thought the scouter was bugging out."
"Alright, Krillin. Show us your maximum."
Krillin nodded. His muscles bulged like Master Roshi's.
The scouter shrieked again.
"Your battle power is… 243,185."
Everyone went silent.
Raditz sat down, trembling.
"N-No way… That's more than Vegeta's 18,000."
Tien and the others glanced over.
"Is that… really a lot?"
"Is Krillin stronger than your captain?"
Raditz swallowed hard.
"More than just Vegeta. With 240k power, he's stronger than anyone under Frieza's command."
Chi-Chi asked,
"So… still weaker than Frieza?"
Raditz nodded grimly.
"Vegeta once said… Frieza's first form has a battle power of 530,000."
"Five hundred thirty thousand?" Chi-Chi gasped.
"That's over double Krillin's!"
"Can Goku reach that level?"
Everyone looked to Goku.
Chi-Chi answered confidently.
"Of course! Goku's always been the strongest."
Goku turned to Krillin.
"How many times can you use Kaioken now?"
Krillin thought for a second.
"20x isn't a problem anymore."
Goku smiled.
"Good. Fly up and activate it—let Bulma read your new number."