Chapter 35: The Power of Energy Crystals

As the air around Capsule Corp settled, Bulma crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. "So, what brought you here today, Goku? Just to have some fun pretending to be my boyfriend?"

Goku grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, partly," he admitted, glancing at her with a sheepish smile. "But I also came to ask for your help with something. Something important."

Bulma raised an eyebrow, curiosity taking over her initial amusement. "Go on."

Without hesitation, Goku reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing crystal. It pulsed with an otherworldly energy, soft yet vibrant. Handing it to Bulma, he said, "Can you create a machine that can convert thermal or kinetic energy into something like this?"

Bulma took the crystal and turned it over in her hand, her eyes widening. "What is this, Goku? I've never seen anything like it."

"It's called an Energy Crystal," Goku explained. "I've been using them to store energy and power my training. But I was wondering if you could make a machine to create more of these, using different kinds of energy."

Bulma's brow furrowed as she carried the crystal over to her workbench. "Let me run a few tests on this."

She placed the crystal into a high-tech scanner and began to type rapidly on her computer. As the machine whirred and beeped, Goku watched her, his face eager. After several minutes, the results came in, and Bulma stared at the screen, completely shocked.

"Goku..." she began, her voice trailing off as she re-read the data. "Do you know what you're holding here?"

Goku blinked, not expecting such a serious reaction. "Not really. I just thought it was useful for my training."

Bulma's fingers flew across her keyboard as she pulled up more data, her eyes widening with every new reading. "This crystal… it has enough stored energy to power twenty cities for a whole month, maybe even longer!"

Goku's eyes widened. "What? Twenty cities?"

Bulma nodded vigorously. "And that's just a small one! The energy is incredibly stable, and there's no harmful by-products. No emissions, no waste. This kind of energy source could replace fossil fuels, nuclear energy—everything! We could use it to power cars, spaceships, homes. If we could mass-produce these, it would be revolutionary. Humanity would enter a new era of energy and technology."

Goku scratched his head, trying to absorb the weight of her words. "I didn't realize it was that big of a deal. I just thought it was a way for me to create more powerful techniques."

Bulma's eyes shone with excitement as she walked back over to him, holding the crystal carefully in her hand. "Goku, this isn't just about you anymore. This could change the entire world. No more energy crises, no more pollution, and the amount of energy these crystals could provide... it would be like something out of science fiction! Our entire civilization could leap forward in ways we've never even dreamed of."

Goku paused, the weight of what she was saying slowly sinking in. He thought back to the cities he had visited, the people he had met. What would it be like for them to live in a world where energy was infinite, where machines powered by these crystals could do all the hard labor, and where there were no more environmental concerns?

Bulma's face was glowing with excitement. "Just think, Goku. We could use these crystals to power anything. Imagine spaceships that could travel to other planets without worrying about fuel! We could advance science, medicine, technology... the possibilities are endless."

Goku stared at the crystal again, now fully appreciating its value. But there was still one thing on his mind. "I understand all that, but right now, I need a lot of these crystals for my training. Can you help me make more?"

Bulma's enthusiasm dimmed slightly as she pondered the request. "Well, creating them the way you want—using kinetic or thermal energy—will be tricky. We'd need a massive amount of energy to replicate what's in these crystals. It'll take time to research. I'd need at least two months, and we'd also need a stable source of raw energy to convert into the crystals."

"That's fine," Goku replied, nodding. "I can wait. But I really need these for my training, so the sooner we can figure this out, the better."

Bulma gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Goku. I'll get started on it right away. But if this works the way I think it does, you're not the only one who's going to benefit. The whole world will."

Goku scratched his chin, still processing everything. "Okay. But you can take your time. I don't need a lot at once, just enough to help with my training."

Bulma grinned. "Well, you might want to start thinking bigger than just training. If we do this right, you'll be sitting on a global revolution."

Goku laughed, though the weight of her words lingered. "I'll leave the world-changing stuff to you, Bulma. But I do have one more request."

Bulma raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What's that?"

"I need to set up some kind of trading hub for these crystals. And for my techniques. You know, like a company that can help distribute everything. But I don't know how to do that."

Bulma nodded, already ahead of him. "I can help you set that up, but you'll need some reliable people to run things. And be careful. Once word gets out about these crystals, there will be plenty of people trying to steal your ideas or take advantage of them."

Goku smiled confidently. "I've got that covered. I've been working on something to keep my techniques safe."

Bulma's curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"

"I created a Loyalty Seal," Goku explained. "It makes sure that no one can steal or use my techniques without my permission."

Bulma's eyes widened with admiration. "Wow, Goku. You've really thought this through."

Goku shrugged. "It's just something I had to figure out."

Just then, one of Goku's clones appeared, holding the Dragon Balls. Goku grinned, knowing exactly what time it was.

"Looks like it's time to make a wish," he said, turning to Bulma with a mischievous glint in his eye.

To be continued…