"Ahhhh! I want an encounter like that too! I want a love story like that!"
In the West City headquarters of Capsule Corp, the air in the heiress Bulma's room was filled with a teenage girl's jealous cries. Clutching a piece of cloth, she rolled back and forth on her soft, fluffy bed. With every roll, she glanced again at the patterns and text on the cloth, and with every glance, she sighed longingly, her eyes practically welling up with envy.
Beside the image of the dragon, the text told the story of someone who met their destined love thanks to the Dragon Balls. It also included a brief introduction to the seven Dragon Balls and their mystical power—capable of granting any wish or dream. A fairy tale romance, and fairy tale Dragon Balls.
Bulma suddenly sat up straight on her bed and clenched her fist. "That's it! I'll make a Dragon Radar too! I'm just as smart, just as beautiful as the lady in the story… Yeah! You can do it, Bulma!"
The sixteen-year-old's eyes sparkled with excitement, completely swept away by her own genius idea. It would kill time over summer break, get her out of the house and away from her nagging parents, and if she went on a trip… Suddenly, a flash of a boy with a tail crossed her mind. She wondered how he was doing. He hadn't appeared in any martial arts tournaments these past years…
"Whatever, I'm doing it!"
Bulma wasn't just impulsive—she was all action, too. Once she decided something, she never looked back. She was that kind of straightforward girl. With that, she took the Dragon Ball she'd found in the warehouse and hummed a little tune as she headed to her personal invention lab, the place where she'd made all kinds of fun and interesting gadgets.
On the way, a servant called out, "Miss Bulma, the Master and Madam ask that you come to the dining room. Dinner is about to begin."
Without even turning her head, Bulma replied, "Bring it to my lab! Breakfast tomorrow too!"
"Wha—Miss, are you going to—"
"Zip it!"
After months of relentless work, Bulma finally completed her envisioned Dragon Radar right before summer break began. She hadn't asked her father, Dr. Briefs, for help even once—she developed it completely on her own. In her mind, this radar could very well be her thread of fate. How could she let her dad interfere?
In the lab.
Before a specially designed workstation, under the bright overhead lights, Bulma sat with disheveled hair. Her face was smudged with grease from all the mechanical parts, but she didn't care. Her bright, sparkling eyes were fixed with intense focus on the finished product in her hands: a large pocket-watch-like device—the Dragon Radar. With trembling anticipation, she pressed the button at the top.
Click.
The moment she pressed it, the dark green radar screen began to refresh.
Bulma held her breath, full of excitement and nervousness. She cleared off the clutter from the workbench and retrieved the orange orb she'd had stored underneath—it was the One-Star Ball Taro had left behind, along with the Shenron brocade. Holding the Dragon Ball in one hand and the radar in the other, her eyes widened as she stared at the screen.
After a refresh, finally—there it was. A glowing dot appeared!
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Right in the center of the radar's grid screen, a glowing dot blinked steadily, marking the location of the signal. It was accompanied by rhythmic beeping from the radar's internal alert system. Overlapping the blinking dot was a red equilateral triangle—marking the location of the radar itself.
"Ha! YES! YEEEEEEES!!"
Bulma shrieked in excitement, totally forgetting her usual grace. She excitedly pressed the button at the top of the radar again—twice. Beep-beep! The map on the dark green screen instantly zoomed in several times. The blinking light and the red triangle merged into one. Bulma pressed the button again—the map zoomed back out…
Beep-beep… Beep… Beep-beep-beep… Beep…
Looking at the seven blinking dots spread across the radar's green grid screen, Bulma felt an indescribable rush of excitement… It was real! The Dragon Balls were real! All seven glowing points flickered in synchrony, accompanied by a chorus of beeping. It felt like her destiny was now echoing the heroine's from the story.
Whoosh!
Bulma suddenly sprang to her feet and nearly tripped over herself. Waving her arms wildly, she dashed toward the door, clutching the radar and the One-Star Ball. "Yoo-hoo! I'm off to find my Prince Charming! Let's go!!"
---
"Be careful out there!" Dr. Briefs called out as he saw his daughter off at the door, having learned of her plan to travel during summer break. The Briefs household had always been extremely liberal and open-minded; once Bulma made a decision, they rarely stood in her way. In truth, her intelligence thrived in such an environment.
"I know, you're so naggy!" Bulma glanced at the watch on her wrist and huffed.
Having planned to spend her entire summer break on this Dragon Ball hunt, Bulma was well-prepared. Her hair was tied in a neat and energetic ponytail, and she wore a baseball cap with "BULMA" written on it. A white long-sleeve shirt with an extra-wide neckline that exposed her collarbones clung to her frame. The logo of Capsule Corporation adorned the shirt, and underneath it she wore a tight black tank top.
She matched it with light blue denim shorts—tucked in and beltless, the hem fringed in white threads. Her slender, pale legs were confidently on display, exuding pride and self-assurance. On her feet were comfortable sneakers, and she carried a modest-sized backpack.
"Stay safe out there… in every sense," Mrs. Briefs added with a knowing smile.
Bulma, well aware of what kind of person her mom was, turned beet red and yelled, "You're even more annoying! Okay, I'm off now!" Flustered, she fished out a capsule box from her backpack, picked one for a vehicle, and tossed it onto the open ground at the gate. With a BOOM, it expanded into a compact aircraft. Bulma swung open the hatch and hopped inside.
As she waved from the cockpit and soared into the sky, Mrs. Briefs clasped her cheeks and sighed dreamily. "I wonder if I'll be a grandma in two months…"
"Don't exaggerate!" Dr. Briefs muttered through his cigarette butt, sweat beading on his forehead. "It takes at least ten months from pregnancy to birth…"
"Who knows…"
"Well, if it's a pregnancy, people know how it works. But if it's Bulma we're talking about… anything could happen."
---
Oblivious to her parents' chatter, Bulma flew her aircraft through the sky. She set the Dragon Radar on the control panel and headed straight for the closest glowing dot to West City.
After flying for a little over two hours, she figured she was close enough and descended the aircraft. With a cheerful "Heave-ho!" she popped the hatch open, jumped out, and with a BOOM returned the vehicle to its capsule form. She then tossed out another capsule, this one containing an off-road car, and climbed into it after adjusting her backpack.
"Beep… beep…"
As she pulled the lever, she glanced at the radar. The scale had been zoomed in, and the green grid map now showed the red triangle (her current location) and the glow of the One-Star Ball on her. Not far ahead, another glowing dot had come into close range.
"GOGOGO!"
With fiery determination in her eyes, the girl looked toward the dense mountain ranges ahead. She flipped her cap backward, let her tongue stick out from the corner of her mouth, and hit the gas, driving full-speed into the wilderness.
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