Inside the Hope spacecraft's control room.
Bulma sat with one leg crossed over the other, holding a freshly made cappuccino. Her eyes, however, were locked onto the radar display on the main screen.
Two high-energy signatures were approaching the ship at incredible speed.
One of them was her husband, the man with seemingly endless stamina.
The other…
"Hmph."
Bulma let out a quiet snort, tapping her fingers impatiently against the console.
As a genius, her ability to sense ki wasn't nearly as sharp as a trained fighter's. But a woman's intuition was its own kind of radar.
That unfamiliar energy felt calm on the surface, yet carried a subtle allure that set off every alarm in her mind.
Hiss…
The pressure valve released with a soft sound.
The hatch slid open. Before the heat outside could rush in, it was overtaken by a faint, refreshing fragrance of hydrangeas.
Krillin walked in, wearing the kind of guilty smile of someone who had clearly done something questionable.
Behind him followed a purple-haired beauty with her head slightly lowered, her figure so striking that even Bulma raised an eyebrow.
The air froze.
In the corner, Piccolo, who had been meditating, snapped his eyes open. His usually calm gaze widened dramatically.
Nearby, Gohan and Trillin were lying on the floor playing video games. They looked up at the commotion, and Trillin immediately let out a whistle.
"Wow. Dad, Mom's going to kill you."
Bulma set her coffee down with a smile that didn't reach her eyes and walked over in her heels, each step clicking sharply against the floor.
She gave Aki a thorough once-over.
Skin that seemed to glow. A figure so perfectly proportioned it looked engineered. Pointed ears and flowing purple hair gave her an otherworldly charm.
Most importantly, the way she looked at Krillin…
It was pure devotion, like he was her god. That kind of gaze couldn't be faked.
"Care to explain?" Bulma crossed her arms, her presence overwhelming.
Her power level might have been only fifty, but the pressure she gave off rivaled Frieza himself.
"You went to the dead side of the planet and came back with a whole person? Or is this some kind of hidden bonus on Namek?"
Krillin coughed lightly, then casually wrapped an arm around Bulma's shoulders, sending a gentle flow of ki into her to ease the strain from sitting too long.
"Wife, you've got it all wrong. This is Aki, the guardian of an ancient Namekian temple."
"I almost got ambushed by that fat guy Dodoria earlier. Luckily, Miss Aki helped me reach the temple and secure the Four-Star Dragon Ball."
He pulled out the massive Dragon Ball and gave it a little shake, clearly trying to shift the topic.
Aki stepped forward gracefully and bowed slightly to Bulma, her posture humble to the extreme.
"Lady Bulma, greetings. I am Aki. Lord Krillin saved both the temple and my life."
"From this day on, I will serve at his side. I hope my presence will not trouble you."
That single phrase, "Lady Bulma," worked like magic.
Then Aki gently raised a finger, releasing a soft green glow that flowed into Bulma's forehead.
Bulma felt a surge run through her body. The exhaustion from days of monitoring data vanished instantly.
Her skin even felt tighter, as if she had just undergone a luxury full-body treatment.
"This is… life energy?" Bulma touched her face in surprise.
"Yes," Aki replied softly. "It is a secret art of the Hydrangea lineage. It slows aging and preserves youth. If you don't mind, I can perform a deep restoration for you every day."
Any trace of hostility in Bulma disappeared immediately, replaced by warmth.
"Oh please, don't call me 'Lady,' that makes me sound old. Just call me big sister."
Bulma grabbed Aki's hand and pulled her away, shoving Krillin aside in the process.
"Come on, I'll show you your room. And you have to tell me all about this beauty technique… I mean, secret art."
The two women walked off arm in arm, chatting like close sisters.
Krillin stood there, scratching his head.
But the real storm was just beginning.
Piccolo, who had been frozen in the corner this entire time, finally found his voice.
He stood up shakily, pointing at Aki's retreating figure.
"K… Krillin…"
His voice sounded strained, like something was stuck in his throat.
"That… is that a Namekian?"
"Sort of." Krillin shrugged as he walked over to the console. "She's an ancient variant, but still Namekian."
"That's impossible!"
Piccolo broke.
He grabbed his head, antennae twitching wildly.
In his inherited memories, Namekians were green-skinned beings who survived on water and reproduced by laying eggs.
Romance? Relationships? Those were irrelevant, unnecessary concepts.
And now, a living, breathing female Namekian with a power level of forty-eight thousand had just appeared in front of him.
For someone who took pride in his identity and lineage, the shock was devastating.
"Am I the mutant?" Piccolo stared at his green arm, spiraling into doubt.
"Or did the Grand Elder lie to us? Were we supposed to have wives all along and just… evolved out of it?"
Krillin couldn't help laughing.
"Don't overthink it, Piccolo." He patted his shoulder. "Aki is a special lifeform born from the Hydrangea tree, more like a priest-type. Different build from you combat types."
"Besides, isn't it a good thing? At least it proves your race isn't just a monastery."
"Shut up!"
Piccolo snapped, his pride taking a direct hit.
"I refuse to accept this!"
With that, he wrapped himself in his cape and fled toward the gravity chamber.
He needed peace. Preferably under three hundred times gravity to crush these thoughts out of existence.
Krillin watched him go, shaking his head before opening his system panel.
After recruiting Aki and obtaining the Dragon Ball, the stats had updated again.
Host: Krillin
Race: Human (Divine Regeneration Body)
Status: Saitama Template Fusion 41%
Base Power Level: 52,000 (Suppressed)
Skills:
Serious Series: Sacred Buddha Form (S+)
Hyper Regeneration (S+)
Ki Resonance (Mutated)
Absolute Domain: Pressure Suppression
Items: Four-Star Dragon Ball, 8 Senzu Beans, Capsule Gravity Chamber
Current Mission: Battle of Namek (20%)
"Fifty-two thousand base power…"
Krillin clenched his fist, feeling the ocean-like force surging within him.
"With a twenty-times Kaioken, I'd break a million easily."
"Frieza's first form is only around five hundred thirty thousand. I could beat him without even transforming."
"But that would be boring."
A grin spread across his face.
Frieza loved playing with transformations.
Since he was already here, it would be a waste not to beat every single one of them.
Just then, alarms blared through the ship.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Red warning lights flashed.
Bulma's voice came over the intercom, tinged with excitement.
"Krillin! Radar shows a high-speed target approaching!"
"Power level is around twenty-three thousand. Green skin, long hair, pretty handsome… though a bit too pretty."
"Green and handsome?"
Krillin smirked.
"Sounds like Zarbon finally showed up."
With Dodoria gone, Frieza wouldn't sit still for long.
Zarbon was one of his top lieutenants. Not the strongest, but far smarter and capable of transforming.
"Trillin, Gohan!"
Krillin called out to the boys.
"Enough games. We've got a visitor. Let's go greet him."
"Alright!"
Trillin tossed his controller aside and sprang to his feet.
"Finally! This place is too low gravity. I was getting rusty."
Gohan stood up as well, straightening his outfit. The fear in his eyes was gone, replaced by determination.
Outside, under Namek's dim sky, a streak of blue light cut across the horizon, heading straight toward them.
…
Inside Frieza's ship.
Frieza sat in his hovering chair, gently swirling a glass of red liquid. His crimson eyes gleamed with cold intent.
"Dodoria has gone silent. Useless."
"It seems a few pests have found their way onto this planet. Vegeta is nearby as well…"
His voice was soft and refined, yet chilling.
"Lord Zarbon has already been dispatched," a soldier reported nervously.
"With his strength, the situation should be resolved quickly."
"I hope so."
Frieza took a sip.
"Oh, and those ridiculous pose-striking idiots should be arriving soon. Once they're here, have them collect the Dragon Balls."
"I despise their taste, but the Ginyu Force is… effective."
A notification blinked on his communicator.
Frieza's eyes lit up.
"Oh ho ho ho… the Grand Elder? Now this is interesting."