Chapter 3: Respect
Completely forgetting that Vahn had also returned her radar, Bulma's anxiety shot up to an eleven the moment she saw the two and five-star Dragon Balls appear in his hand. She even attempted to snatch them back, but, the moment she moved forward, Vahn casually sidestepped her charge with the same relaxed smile he had been wearing from the start.
"Relax. If I needed something like wish-granting balls to make my dreams come true, I would never find fulfillment. Besides, you're mistaken if you believe the Dragon Balls belong to you. You neither created them nor have you collected them all. In fact, one such ball belongs to Goku. Depending on how things play out, the other balls may very well belong to others. Are you just going to take them for yourself…?"
In spite of his words, Vahn returned the Dragon Balls to Bulma once he had finished analyzing their physical and spiritual structure. He didn't really need something like Dragon Balls to have his wishes granted, but, if he wanted to, he could produce a functionally infinite number of them so long as he was within the Actualized World. After all, the balls in Bulma's hands were, quite literally a very small part of his existence. It would be strange if he couldn't replicate something he had created…
Seizing the glistening orange balls, Bulma took a moment to confirm the number of ruby-red stars floating in the center before exhaling a sigh of relief. Then, with an expression that was equal parts charming and ferocious, she glared towards Vahn and retorted, "What do you know? According to my research, no one has been able to make use of the Dragon Balls for nearly three hundred years. I'm the first person to develop the technology to locate them so I have every right to collect them. I mean, that's kind of the reason they exist."
Rather than refute the emboldened teen's claims, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation. This came as a slight surprise to Bulma until he promptly replied, "You're not wrong. However, that isn't where your misunderstanding lies. You see, the purpose of the Dragon Balls is to pit the people who wish to claim them against one another. In other words, the moment you set out on your journey, you're bound to encounter others who wish to make use of them. Without the power to protect and make use of them, you are merely holding them for someone else…"
Demonstrating his point, Vahn extended his hands to reveal the Dragon Balls Bulma had just put away. When she saw them, the incensed look on her face shifted from disbelief to helplessness as she extended her hands to grab the pair of gleaming orange orbs.
Seizing the opportunity, Goku decided to chime in, answering, "Hey, Uncle Vahn. I have seen one of those balls. My Grandpa gave one to me before he died."
Intending to teach Bulma a lesson, Vahn feigned surprise as he remarked, "Ah, I see. I imagine that makes the ball pretty important to you, isn't it?"
Increasing Bulma's ever-growing exasperation, Goku adopted a remarkably wholesome smile as he answered, "That's right! Other than my Power Pole, it's the only thing my Grandpa left to me before he died. It's super, duper important~!"
Hearing Goku's words, Bulma's mind kicked into overdrive. Unfortunately, Vahn had no intention of giving her time to think, asking, "Ms. Briefs, do you have any idea what happens to the Dragon Balls once their power has been expended?"
"Uh…I…"
Without letting up, Vahn immediately followed his question by asking, "Better yet, do you think you would be able to 'steal' the ball from someone like Goku? How about from me…?"
Dangling the two orbs yet again, Vahn was somewhat surprised when Bulma suddenly collapsed to the ground, tears welling in her eyes before she started crying full force.
("I may have pushed her a little too far…")
(*Well, she kind of deserved it.*)
Unable to argue with that, Vahn teleported the two balls into Bulma's pouch before reaching up to grab Goku from his head. This earned him a confused look from the young Saiyan, but, borrowing a page from Grandpa Gohan's book, Vahn pinched the youth's cheek before whispering, "Girls can be pretty sentimental at times. Though you'll need to watch out for the ones that try to trick you, times like this require a gentle hand and some soothing words…"
Demonstrating this 'wisdom', Vahn released Goku's cheek before kneeling in front of Bulma and placing his hand atop her head. Her crying didn't immediately cease, but, rather than bawling her eyes out, the two sapphirine orbs immediately turned to meet Vahn's gaze as he whispered, "It's going to be okay…"
Though she felt compelled to argue, Bulma just sniffled a few times as Vahn continued to caress her head. By the time a minute had passed, the tears on her cheeks had started to dry up. In their place, a faint red hue began to spread as she averted her eyes and huffed, "Stop treating me like a child…"
Maintaining his smile, Vahn fixed the bow atop Bulma's head before rising to his feet and extending a hand to help her up. This elicited an upturned glower from the embarrassed blunette, but, instead of refusing his assistance, she accepted his hand and grumbled, "At least he's not a complete jerk…" under her breath…
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After a short journey through a small forest, Vahn and Co found themselves in a clearing housing a small hut. Though it was clearly the place Goku lived, the hut resembled an ancient Chinese Shrine rather than an abode. The foundation was a mere 4x4 meters, and, while there was a well located a short distance from the entrance, there were no visible electric or telephone lines.
Voicing Vahn's thoughts, Bulma remarked, "Oh, wow. I never expected we'd come across a shrine in the middle of the mountains. I wonder which God it's dedicated to?"
Confused by Bulma's words, Goku tilted his head to the side, asking, "God? What God? This place is my home."
Though it should have been obvious from the start, Bulma was both surprised and taken aback by Goku's words. She had grown up in the most populous city on the entire planet. She couldn't even imagine anyone living without access to what she considered to be basic amenities. After all, even the Capsule Homes her father's company produced had wireless electricity and satellite TV. Living in a refurbished Shrine just seemed so…uncivilized…
Seeing Bulma staring with her mouth agape, Goku just shrugged his shoulders before scampering forward to push open the turquoise double doors granting access to the hut. The interior, much like the outside, appeared old and worn down. As for the furnishings, the only things inside were an old, canopy-style bed, a low-lying red table, a large and dilapidated chest, and a broken jar that smelled of urea, feces, and mulch.
"Welcome to my home, everyone! Come on in."
Without waiting for the others to respond, Goku entered the, for lack of a better term, cozy abode. Vahn followed close behind, but, due to the smell, even Sarina was somewhat reluctant to enter the poorly ventilated building. As for Bulma, she was in complete and utter disbelief until she noticed Goku bowing in front of the dilapidated chest.
"A Dragon Ball…!"
Seemingly forgetting the events from earlier, Bulma attempted to charge into the hut only for Vahn to block her path. Then, before she could yell, he looked down at her, an easy feat considering the more than twenty-centimeter difference in their respective heights, whispering, "Stop…can't you see he's praying to his dead Grandfather? Show some respect…"
Opening her mouth, Bulma wanted to say something, but, much like every other time Vahn had chided her, she simply couldn't find the words. After all, even if she wanted to argue, what could she say that wouldn't make her sound like an insensitive, borderline inhuman monster?
Nodding his head in 'approval', Vahn turned away from Bulma to silently observe Goku's praying. His Grandfather, Gohan, was an exceptionally kind and caring man. The impact he had made on the lives of Goku and several others had changed the course of history for generations to come. In fact, were it not for his boundless patience and the unwavering kindness he displayed when adopting an alien child, Earth would have been destroyed the moment Goku matured…
"I have good news, Grandpa. I met someone that might be my family. There are also two girls. One of them seems kind of mean but I don't think she's a bad person. Please continue watching over us so we can live happy and healthy lives…"
Clapping his hands together, Goku ended his prayer with a happy smile on his face. Then, as if he had just remembered something important, his eyes widened as he shouted, "Oh, no! I forgot my fish!" in a panicked tone.
While Bulma was brooding with a thoughtful expression on her face, Vahn couldn't help laughing in response to Goku's sudden outcry. He could tell the next couple of years were going to be very fun, so, in order to celebrate, he manifested a large table and four chairs outside before saying, "Leave that fish to the birds. Today is a special day so allow me to prepare a feast."
Punctuating his words, Vahn pulled out a castiron long stove and several other cooking appliances from his Inventory. This earned a surprised yet enthusiastic, "Wow!" from Goku while Bulma, unable to believe her eyes, just stared blankly as Vahn began producing utensils and ingredients from thin air.
Taking pity on the befuddled blunette, Sarina approached her with a friendly yet slightly wry smile as she said, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it pretty quickly. You just need to accept that Vahn can do just about anything. Trying to make sense of his powers will only leave you with a headache…"
Though Sarina was tempted to state that people exponentially smarter than Bulma had attempted to understand Vahn's powers, she suspected that would only incentivize the blunette to try. While that wasn't exactly a bad thing, she didn't want Bulma to monopolize Vahn's time and interest. He was the type that liked to use his hands and tinker with things, so, unless he violated the rules they had established prior to entering the Actualized World, there was a chance he would spend weeks, months, or even years cooped up inside a workshop.
Imagining a scenario where there were Companions running around with power on par with a God of Destruction, a sudden chill ran through Sarina's body. The notion might seem like complete and utter nonsense, but, just as she had informed Bulma, there were no limits to Vahn's ability to shatter expectations. He was, after all, the God of Infinite Possibilities…
Noticing the awkwardness in Sarina's expression, countless questions appeared in Bulma's mind. If she were to take Sarina's words at face value, Vahn might as well be the legendary wish dragon she was attempting to summon. It would explain his ability to steal her Dragon Balls and manifest items out of thin air. Heck, it would even explain the advice he had given her about the true nature of the Dragon Balls…
Shaking her head, Bulma promptly dismissed such thoughts as nonsense before meeting Sarina's gaze and saying, "I'll believe it when I see it. For now, there's something I wanted to ask you…"
Raising her brows, Sarina prompted Bulma to continue with a slight nod. She had already prepared herself for all kinds of questions, so, assuming Bulma wanted to ask about her age and background, Sarina's smile visibly cramped when the petite blunette suddenly asked, "What's your bra size? I've never seen a girl around my age with such big and perky tits. I mean, be honest with me, are those things even real…?"
(A/N: Bulma's height is 163cm and her three sizes are 85/58/84cm. Sarina's height is 165cm and her three sizes are 92/58/85cm. Sarina got some dohoonkabhankoloos.)
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn can't keep his hands off of Bulma's balls xD…','Grandpa Gohan raised a good kid','Massive tonhongerekoogers'…)
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