Meeting Bulma

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the feeling I'd seen Goku experience countless times in the anime. I felt a warm energy building in my core, and instinctively, I knew it was time. I opened my eyes and felt my body lift off the ground. My heart raced with exhilaration as I rose higher and higher, soaring through the sky for the first time. The world looked entirely different from up above. The lush forests, majestic mountains, and serene rivers stretched endlessly below me. I felt like a bird experiencing freedom in its truest form, and a sense of euphoria washed over me.

I pushed my body further, flying higher and faster than ever before. As the wind whipped through my hair and the sun kissed my face, I followed the direction of Bulma's house to get the Dragon Ball radar. Right now, there was no Dende on Earth, so the Earth Dragon would only grant one wish. I had to think carefully about what I wanted to wish for, especially since I needed to deal with a lot of things, particularly money. I mean, I promised Chichi not to make her worry and be responsible, so taking away the financial burden would be nice.

That's when it hit me; I was going to wish for the ability to use magic. Magic has always been a lesser-known but intriguing aspect of the Dragon Ball universe, and it would give me a distinct advantage in this new world. Magic users like Fortuneteller Baba, Babidi, and magical beings like Majin Buu, have shown that magic could offer a range of unique powers, from seeing the future to manipulating others.

Moreover, both Moro and Fuu use a lot of magic in offensive ways. Using the one wish just for 'unlimited money,' if that is even possible, would be a waste.

As I neared the Briefs' mansion, I felt a familiar ki—a ki filled with maniacal energy, rage, and relentless determination. My mind identified it as Vegeta, the rival to my shounen character. The last I read on the internet was about his Alter ego form. The writers always did him dirty, making him an afterthought to Goku. I didn't hide my ki, so he quickly sensed me.

"Whoosh!"

There, standing in front of me, was the menacing form of the Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta. He wore his iconic Saiyan armor, with visible exhaustion on his face, indicating that he was probably training. It made me feel a little guilty; my 'rival' was training while I had been having carefree encounters.

"Kakarot," he said.

I tried to emulate how Goku used to act around people and friends. "Yo, Vegeta!"

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Rubbing the back of my head, I replied, "I need to borrow the Dragon Radar from Bulma to collect the Dragon Balls."

This piqued his interest instantly. "What are you wishing for?"

In the show, it was never shown that Vegeta went after the Dragon Balls after he became one of the good guys, like wishing for immortality. Telling him that I, his rival, would be using the Dragon Balls to become stronger would probably upset him, and he might break his self-imposed rule and wish for outrageous things. I mean, he let Babidi control him just to have a fight with the original Goku.

"You know how I was supposed to have a heart attack? I want to ask Shenron if it can be cured without taking medicine."

He nodded, started to fly away, but then tilted his head. "Don't die, Kakarot, before I defeat you."

"Haha, I'll stay alive, but hurry up and transform into Super Saiyan!" I said.

He paused in midair. I sensed his anger rise as his ki exploded. "Bastard!" he cursed and flew away at a fast speed.

As soon as he left, my plastered grin faded. I sighed, finding it hard to maintain the façade of a happy-go-lucky idiot. Fooling Chi-Chi was easy since she didn't know what I went through on Namek, but fooling Vegeta would be much more difficult.

Shaking my head, I arrived at Capsule Corp.

It was pretty massive. I rang the bell and soon heard a voice: "Coming!" The door opened, and I was greeted by Bulma's mom, Bikini. I chuckled a little at her name.

Goku had never really interacted with her, and he had only addressed her as "Bulma's mom."

"Oh, Goku, what a lovely surprise!" she said.

"Hey, Bulma's mom, I'm here to meet with Bulma. I need her help."

As she let me in, she asked, "Do you need anything to eat or drink?"

"No, I'm not that hungry," I replied. Relying on my memory, I headed towards Bulma's lab. Upon arriving, I saw the lab had sliding metal doors. Pressing the intercom on the side of the wall, I heard the familiar voice of Bulma.

"Oh, who is it?" she asked.

"Hey, Bulma, it's me."

"Oh, Goku! Come on in!" As soon as the door slid open, I entered.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest. It was a sight to behold. There she was, bent over, tinkering with a machine, unaware of how hot she looked. Maybe she noticed, maybe she didn't. She said, "Hey, Goku, what do you need my help for?"

"I wanted to borrow the Dragon Ball radar. I need to check on my heart disease situation." Instantly, she stood up and turned around. "Are you worried about the future? Don't worry; I'm already working on duplicating that medicine, just in case."

Her face showed genuine concern. She walked over and hugged me. "Don't be so gloomy. I'll have the medicine ready in time." She let go and flashed me a peace sign before walking to the table to pick up the Dragon Ball radar.

All this time, my plan to act goofy like Goku was out the window. I couldn't explain the feeling that overwhelmed me—was it love at first sight, residual emotions from the original Goku, or just plain lust?

As I pondered, Bulma waved her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Goku, hello?"

She playfully bumped my chest with her fist. "Here's the radar. Do tell me what the dragon says."

Rubbing the back of my head, I replied, "Haha, yeah, thanks, Bulma." I quickly used instant transmission to leave, not wanting to make things more awkward or weird than they already were. With how smart she is, my changes might not go unnoticed.

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