At the heart of West City, the headquarters of Capsule Corporation rose like a monument to human ingenuity.
The massive hemispherical complex was nothing short of the pinnacle of technology. Automated security robots patrolled silently, anti gravity elevators glided through open space, and holographic displays shimmered everywhere, all of it broadcasting the family's almost absurd wealth.
Bulma practically dragged Krillin through the front doors at a run.
The blush on her face had not faded yet.
Partly because the fight earlier had been exhilarating, and partly because neither of them had let go of the other's hand the entire way back.
Servants and service robots alike stared in open surprise.
After all, while the young lady of the house had dated before, it was rare to see her show such shy, girlish affection.
"Mom. Dad. I'm back."
Bulma pushed open the massive electronic doors and called out loudly, her voice brimming with excitement she could not hide.
"Oh my, Bulma's home already?"
A beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped out, carrying a tray. She looked eternally youthful, like a woman frozen at twenty.
This was Bulma's mother, Mrs. Brief.
Her eyes lit up the instant she noticed Krillin standing beside Bulma.
"Oh ho ho, and who might this be?"
With absolutely no sense of personal space, Mrs. Brief set the tray aside and leaned in. She even reached out and gave Krillin's arm a squeeze, letting out a delighted gasp.
"What a solid young man."
"These muscles, my goodness. So firm. Much better than Yamcha, that child who only knows how to strike poses."
"Bulma, is this your new boyfriend? You have excellent taste."
"Mom!"
Bulma's face turned scarlet in an instant as she hurriedly pulled her mother away.
"Don't touch him like that. This is Krillin. Krillin. You know, the little bald guy from before."
"Krillin?"
Mrs. Brief covered her mouth in shock, eyes wide.
"Oh my goodness, the change is unbelievable."
"Come in, come in. Auntie just baked some cupcakes. You should eat more."
At that moment, Dr. Briefs drifted out of the laboratory on a single wheel hovering vehicle, a black cat perched lazily on his shoulder, a pipe clamped between his teeth.
"Oh. Krillin. You've gotten tall."
He adjusted his glasses, his sharp, intelligent eyes scanning Krillin in a way that was anything but ordinary.
"Hmm. Your body density seems unusually high. Even your footsteps produce a different vibration feedback."
"I heard an explosion outside earlier. Was that you?"
"Apologies, Doctor. Just a light sparring match."
Krillin nodded politely.
"No worries, no worries. Young people are supposed to have energy."
Dr. Briefs waved it off, utterly unconcerned.
"Just don't dismantle the gravity room I finished repairing."
The moment the words gravity room were spoken, the calm in Krillin's eyes shattered into a sharp gleam.
This was one of his primary objectives in coming here.
In fact, its importance was second only to winning Bulma over.
The Saitama template was powerful, but as the fusion deepened, Earth's normal environment was no longer sufficient as training. Earlier, when he fought Yamcha, he had not even broken a sweat.
If he wanted to continue growing, if he wanted to avoid being irrelevant when the Saiyans arrived, he needed intensity.
"Doctor, I'd like to ask for your help."
Krillin spoke directly, without any preamble.
"I need a training device with adjustable gravity. I know this is well within your capabilities."
"Oh? Gravity training?"
Dr. Briefs' interest was clearly piqued.
"How many times gravity are you thinking?"
"One hundred times, to start."
Krillin stated the number calmly.
"Pff…"
Dr. Briefs nearly dropped his pipe. Even the ever composed black cat bristled in alarm.
"One hundred times?"
The doctor stared at him in disbelief.
"Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"That's comparable to the pressure at extreme ocean depths, or the surface gravity of massive planets."
"A normal person's bones would be crushed instantly. Their internal organs would rupture."
Krillin clenched his fist. The air around his palm detonated with a sharp boom.
"If I don't force myself to the limit, how can I break past it?"
"And there's more."
Bulma suddenly cut in. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a stack of neatly drawn blueprints she had secretly sketched on the way home.
"Dad, you're not just building the gravity room. You're helping me make this too."
"I want to design a custom battle suit for Krillin."
"It has to use the latest nano memory fibers with extreme elasticity. Otherwise his clothes will keep exploding every time he exerts himself, and that gets expensive."
As she spoke, she shot a resentful glance at the orange gi Krillin was wearing, its seams already strained and fraying. Her eyes were full of concern.
Krillin scratched his bald head, a little embarrassed.
It was true. He had torn through quite a few outfits lately. Ordinary fabric simply could not withstand the tension when his muscles expanded.
"All right, all right. Whatever you want."
Dr. Briefs smiled indulgently at his daughter, then looked deeply at Krillin.
"It seems this household is about to get lively. Come with me. There's a prototype in the basement."
Dinner was held in an atmosphere that was both strange and harmonious.
The long dining table was piled high with food.
Mrs. Brief kept serving Krillin dish after dish, even trying to feed him cake herself, only to be blocked by Bulma's darkened expression.
Dr. Briefs, meanwhile, dragged Krillin into a discussion about the theoretical limits of human biomechanics.
As he dealt with this family of geniuses, Krillin quietly checked his system interface.
[Quest Complete: A Man's Dignity]
[Evaluation: You shattered the most fragile pride in the most understated way possible. Yamcha has departed for Kame House to train harder. While he will most likely never catch up, at least the boy has regained some fighting spirit.]
[Rewards Issued]
[1. All Attributes +100]
Strength: 1000
Speed: 980
Constitution: 1000
Intelligence: 350
Charisma: 85
[2. Bulma Affection Update: Heartflutter (85/100) to Almost Lovers (89/100)]
Eighty nine.
Just one step away.
Once it crossed ninety, the special Assimilation function would activate, allowing him to acquire Bulma's genius trait.
Krillin turned his head to look at Bulma beside him.
She was biting the fork lightly, staring at his profile in a daze. When she noticed his gaze, she panicked and lowered her head to drink her soup.
Her ears burned red, even her blue hair seeming more vivid than usual.
"Well… tonight…"
Bulma spoke softly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito.
"You can stay in the room next to mine."
That room had once been Yamcha's guest room. Despite her bold personality, Bulma was still conservative where it truly mattered.
She personally replaced the sheets and blankets, even spraying a little of her favorite perfume.
"Alright."
Krillin smiled faintly, his gaze gentle.
This was a night destined to leave someone sleepless.
Far away, on the open sea, at Kame House, waves lapped against the shore.
Master Roshi was grinning foolishly at a treasured swimsuit magazine when he suddenly let out a massive sneeze.
"Achoo. Strange. Which beauty is thinking about me now?"
At that moment, the door was violently thrown open.
A disheveled Yamcha stood in the doorway, reeking of garbage and decay. He dropped to his knees with a loud thud, the floorboards cracking beneath the impact.
"Master Roshi. Please train me."
"I want to become strong. Strong enough to defeat that bald monster."
Master Roshi froze. His snot bubble popped, sunglasses slipping halfway down his face, revealing a pair of tiny eyes full of shock.
"Well… Yamcha, I'm moved by your determination. Truly. Young people need setbacks."
He pointed at the barely standing door.
"But could you pay for the door first? This is the second one broken this week."
"And that smell on you."
He pinched his nose.
"Did you fall into a latrine?"