After Karnel's departure, Bulma was left with an unexplainable sense of emptiness that lingered for years. Eleven years had passed since that day when he'd promised to return. Now, as a young adult, she understood what she had felt back then, it wasn't romantic love, but deep admiration and a longing for someone she saw as a protective older brother. Karnel had been her first real hero, the standard she'd measured all others by.
Unable to wait any longer, sixteen-year-old Bulma threw herself into action. Armed with a newly constructed Dragon Radar, the Two-Star Dragon Ball Karnel had given her, and an arsenal of high-tech gadgets, she set off on her quest to find him.
Her journey led her to Mount Paozu, where she encountered a wild-haired boy named Goku. Through various adventures, some thrilling, others downright chaotic, she managed to collect all seven Dragon Balls. Along the way, she met Oolong, a shape-shifting pig who had been terrorizing a village. Just as in the original timeline, when it came time to make her wish, Oolong panicked and blurted out a ridiculous request for women's underwear.
Bulma's joy turned to fury. The wish she had worked so hard for was stolen by a perverted pig. She knocked Oolong out cold in a fit of rage.
With the Dragon Balls inert for a year, Bulma had to wait. When she set out again at seventeen, she realized how dangerous the world could be without Goku's help. She was nearly killed by bandits in one close encounter, a wake-up call that changed her perspective.
Recognizing her vulnerability, she returned home and trained under various martial artists. She learned basic combat, self-defense, and became skilled with firearms.
By eighteen, Bulma had grown both mentally and physically. Armed with capsules full of weapons and more confidence than ever, she set out again. After six months of hard work, she finally summoned Shenron once more.
"Eternal Dragon, I wish for Karnel to return to me!" she shouted, full of hope.
But Shenron replied: "That wish cannot be granted. The one you seek is not in this universe."
Though crushed, Bulma didn't give up. "Then… please send him my voice across time and space. Let him know I'm still waiting, still hoping."
She returned home emotionally exhausted. For a year, she went through life with a distant look in her eyes. But in her heart, she held onto Karnel's memory, not as a lost love, but as a cherished big brother who had promised to come back.
Then, one day, a golden light streaked across the Earth's sky. A figure materialized above the blue planet, hovering in space.
"I'm finally back…" Karnel whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. The sight of Earth, its clouds and oceans, overwhelmed him. After what felt like lifetimes spent in the distant past, he had begun to lose hope of ever returning.
"I'M FINALLY BACK!" he roared joyfully across the cosmos.
But doubt crept in. How much time has passed on Earth? He reached out with his senses. "That's Master Roshi's energy... and Goku's. His power level's still low, it can't have been long."
Without another thought, Karnel descended like a comet toward West City.
The city had changed. Technology buzzed in the skies, but the Capsule Corporation tower remained the same, a nostalgic anchor to the past. Karnel stood at the front door, frozen. What if she forgot me? What if…
The door opened, and his raised fist accidentally clocked Dr. Briefs right in the forehead.
"Oh my!" Dr. Briefs blinked at the tall man before him. "Who are you?"
Years of training had made Karnel an impressive figure. No longer a boy, he stood tall with the quiet intensity of someone who had seen too much.
"It's me, Doctor," Karnel said, steadying himself. "I'm Karnel. Is Bulma here?"
The old man stared, then recognition dawned on him. "Karnel… Karnel! You're back! She's been talking about you for over a decade. Not a week went by without her wondering where you were."
Joy and guilt mixed in Karnel's heart. She hadn't forgotten.
"Oh, my stars!" Mrs. Briefs gasped when she saw him. "You've grown into such a fine young man! Bulma will be so happy, you were like a big brother to her."
"Honey," Dr. Briefs said, guiding his wife away gently, "let's give them a moment. She's waited long enough."
Karnel's heart pounded as he stood before Bulma's door. He knocked with trembling hands.
Inside, Bulma was sitting on her bed, idly holding the Two-Star Dragon Ball. She assumed it was her father and called, "Yeah, Dad?"
But when she opened the door, time seemed to stop.
The Dragon Ball dropped from her hand as tears welled in her eyes.
There he was. Her childhood hero. Her big brother in spirit. The one who had left a promise and had now, against all odds, returned.
"Bulma," Karnel said softly, his voice catching.
She didn't speak, just rushed forward and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
"You came back," she whispered.
And finally, Karnel smiled through his own tears. "I promised, didn't I?"
In that moment, the years melted away. Not as lovers, not as soulmates, but as family, two hearts reunited across space and time.