It had been a while since Bulma returned to her timeline. The data she had gathered during her journey, starting with the simple act of using the portal and traversing that timeline's special space-time, as well as the technical information she had collected, had been quite useful.
Along with the gift Gaspar gave her, this trip had truly been beneficial! Bulma's eagerness to fight calmed down considerably. Knowing it was no longer necessary to run around, she focused on processing everything that had been achieved.
Capsule Corp.'s technical reserves improved, especially in the field of automatons, which received upgrades. Of course, Bulma did not dare leave these machines' programming open. She made it quite strict because she did not want to cause an Omnic crisis.
She didn't want to give the robots sensitivity and risk them developing thoughts of their own. Although the current Earth was fairly inclusive, even electing a dog man as World King, Bulma decided that a mechanical species was unnecessary.
Arale was the only gynoid she wholeheartedly accepted. For this reason, she avoided the subject of AI. However, she did take advantage of the technology she obtained to improve transportation and ensure that it emitted less pollution.
Although energy domes were unnecessary given the world's good condition, she decided to implement them for their defensive capabilities.
Imagine an invader from space arrives on Earth and tries to bomb a city, only to realize there's a fairly resistant energy shield. That would be the benefit of high technology!
It was part of Bulma's project to improve her planet and make it more capable of withstanding massive damage. For this reason, Bulma Prime created the invention that contained the power of Goku and Trunks in Dragon Ball Super.
With this shield generator, she could create an arena where people could fight freely without wreaking havoc on nature. Bulma was still in the process of miniaturizing a machine like this, but the current version was really useful.
She didn't want to hurt nature indiscriminately because her understanding of the natural world had greatly increased upon returning from her trip.
Her understanding of her Plant form had also grown, enabling her to tap into more of her inner power. Her healing, resource generation, and effect on life all became more effective and powerful.
She grew stronger simply by basking in the sun! She just started enjoying the sun. When she lay down to sleep in her yard looking like a cat, she managed to blend in with the world and communicate subtly with the planet.
This didn't increase her power, but it allowed her to become more accustomed to certain aspects of her plant form's abilities. Along with the information about space, time, and dimensions that she had learned from Gaspar, she had a vague feeling.
'Soon I will be able to unleash that power... but 'soon,' for someone who can live so long, takes years,' thought Bulma, who, as mentioned before, was quietly sunbathing in her backyard.
Another year had passed since her return. This was the time that had elapsed so far. The world was peaceful. The most notable thing was that the next tournament was three years away.
Bulma wanted to shorten the wait, but her father and the tournament organizers used this 'last time' to organize the tournament better. They wanted to use the battle zone generator she had created to make the fights more intense.
Bulma was no longer going to participate, but that didn't mean the others wouldn't. Many improvements were needed to the competition's concept, especially its regulations. This would take a long time.
What else could Bulma do besides sunbathe, meditate, train, and study? She didn't feel ready to go into space, at least not until she reevaluated her technique system, which would require a few more months of preparation.
She intended to go into space to cause chaos, explore the universe, and find interesting things. For now, though, she was simply... enjoying the warm sun.
"Right, I forgot that I photosynthesize," she said, feeling her slight hunger disappear.
She lay on a beach chair wearing only white shorts and a blue blouse to match her hair. Sunglasses covered her eyes. Her mind wandered, part of her attention occupied with her fighting techniques, another part with the information she had processed over the last year, and a small part focused on scanning the world.
"Hmm? That Ki is evil, but it seems contained," Bulma muttered. She sensed an energy signature at the bottom of the sea filled with incredible malice.
Two things caught her attention: the energy resembled Kami-Sama's, and it was severely suppressed yet slowly seeping through. Then, a smile appeared on the girl's face.
"After all, isn't it normal for seals to wear out over time? It's a classic! But at this point... is it even enough?" Bulma was currently facing a problem she never thought she would: she was too strong.
That's why she took her time to relax and reevaluate. An increase in strength could be good for anyone, but Bulma wasn't pursuing raw power. Rather, she wanted to encompass everything, like the sky, like Sora.
She could increase her strength later; she didn't want to focus so much on training that she forgot to enjoy the world. Following Muten Roshi's teachings, she decided to rest for long periods.
"Demon King Piccolo, I don't want Kami to die. But I also don't want to lose the babysitter... I mean, Piccolo Jr." Bulma touched her forehead. Her multitasking ability was occupied with other things right now, so she didn't have much "space" to think about this matter.
"What if I send Goku? Fighting an old cheater like Demon King Piccolo would be good for his growth. But I won't do something stupid like act without telling the people I know. Should I organize this with Kami-Sama, Son Gohan, and Muten Roshi?" She leaned back in her chair and cracked her bones.
"Oh, and I have to climb Karin Tower. I could take this opportunity to visit Kami-Sama's Lookout. I want Senzu Beans too. Will I be able to improve their effectiveness? Or at least increase their productivity? Do I need to bring fish?" Thinking about how greedy the 800-year-old cat was, Bulma smiled.
It seemed she couldn't just bring any fish. They had to be fresh and the best. If it were up to her, she would take all the Senzu Beans Karin had without letting a certain human mutant eat them all.
'There's the Hyperbolic Time Chamber,' Bulma said, remembering that special place on Earth, one of the proofs of this world's profound heritage.
As far as she knew, there was only one other place like it in the universe, and it would remain undiscovered unless the fate of a certain emperor returned to its normal course. However, due to the changes Bulma had brought about, not only to her home planet but also to the universe itself, it was uncertain whether that special place would be found again.
"There are so many things in the universe. What about that fruit? Could it exist in this universe? And what about that chip that grew into a planet eater?" As if a door had opened, Bulma began to remember those kinds of things.
"What about that mad scientist who's now just a brain? What would they be like if they existed?" she wondered.
Bulma's thoughts soon stopped wandering, and she finalized her new plan of action.
"I'll keep sleeping," she said before doing just that. She fell asleep while basking in the sun.
She would worry about those things in the future. Why interrupt her photosynthesis with such matters?
...
Deep in the cosmos, a young Saiyan stood before an enormous tree. The tree was so massive that it seemed unnatural. Its roots protruded from the ground, creating valleys instead of leaving simple cracks.
"I never thought it would be real," said the Saiyan, staring in fascination at the lone fruit hanging from the tree.
"You'll see, Bardock! I will take revenge on Freezer, my brother," Turles declared again. This time, however, his words were not just empty promises to endure the pain. Now, he had a clear hope.
He had been sent to this world as a baby and had always seen the enormous tree in the distance. However, he had never had enough strength to withstand the guardian beasts that roamed the area.
He did not wipe out the inhabitants of this planet, probably because, when he had grown old enough to carry out the extermination, he received a message from his only family: Bardock.
[Don't come back. Freezer betrayed us... live well.]
He didn't know what had happened to his brother. Having received no message after so long, his fate was obvious. He grew up and developed here, where he heard a legend.
The legend says that the giant tree was divine and periodically produced a fruit that caused disputes among the enormous beasts in the vicinity. Whoever ate it saw their strength increase.
It was that small glimmer of hope that drove him there. Before, even with his Ozaru transformation, he couldn't defeat those creatures.
Covered in blood, he stood before the golden fruit. From this point forward, his destiny was about to change.
...
"Doctor Kochin, have you made contact with Doctor Gero?" a voice asked over the loudspeaker in the dark, cold laboratory where an elderly man in a lab coat was working on a computer.
"No, Dr. Wheelo. Since the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed, I haven't been able to communicate with him. You should go back into hibernation. Your robotic body is almost complete," said Dr. Kochin. A growl came out of the speaker, followed by an angry voice.
"THAT GUY...! To die like that! His ideas were interesting. What about that guy named Pilaf?" asked Dr. Wheelo, who wasn't there.
"He's been working on something lately. He won't give me any details, but his dog let slip that he's interested in nanotechnology," replied Dr. Kochin. There was a long silence before Dr. Wheelo spoke again.
"I've been hearing something during my hibernation. What do you know about Demon King Piccolo?" asked Dr. Wheelo, causing Dr. Kochin to hesitate before answering.
"Isn't that a legend? My father told me stories from his grandfather about that mythical figure. But, seeing how capable those so-called martial artists are..." Kochin didn't continue, but he knew Wheelo would understand.
"A strange phenomenon has happened to me. That being appears in my dreams and urges me to find him." Disdain was palpable in Wheelo's words, but Kochin remained silent, knowing his boss would continue.
"HAHAHA! Someone like him wants to deceive me with promises of the world and such nonsense. But Kochin, it's an opportunity to try out some of our stuff, isn't it? What would a Bio-Warrior based on the legendary Demon King Piccolo be like?" Doctor Wheelo's words said it all.
How could the self-proclaimed greatest mind in the world fall for such a low deception? This only increased Wheelo's desire to take advantage of him.
Thus, two people who had no contact with each other and had different intentions both thought of the same being at the same time. Perhaps this being did not expect the resurgence of King Demon Piccolo.
After all, times have changed dramatically for him!
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AN: I said that I will use non-canon character, but making my own version of them. Here, Turles is Bardock's young brother, like Tarble is Vegete's young brother. Also, I need use Piccolo... and Wheelo, lool xDD.