"Here, Karnel, these last two pieces are for you," Bulma said, licking her lips as she handed him the remaining fruit salad. "Everyone else already finished theirs. Launch really is an amazing cook!"
'Is it really that good? Karnel wondered skeptically. He'd tasted countless delicacies during his travels, especially the Divine Fruit. Just thinking about it made his mouth water, he'd have to find time to cultivate more of those someday.
Taking a bite, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "You're absolutely right! Launch's cooking skills are exceptional!" He gave an appreciative thumbs up.
Noticing Bulma's wistful expression as she watched him eat, Karnel handed her the second piece with a warm smile. "Here, you clearly want another one."
Bulma beamed gratefully and dug in with obvious delight.
"Where's mine?" Master Roshi complained loudly as he shuffled in, staring at the empty plates. "Why don't I get any?"
Blonde Launch snorted dismissively. "There's nothing left for perverted old turtles," she declared coldly.
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Krillin and Yamcha quickly made their excuses, grabbed their turtle shells, and escaped outside to continue their training.
"Not cute at all..." Roshi muttered under his breath, not daring to argue further. He hurried to his bedroom and locked the door firmly behind him.
The muffled sounds of excitement from within made Karnel shake his head in exasperation. 'Some things never change.'
After spending a pleasant afternoon at Kame House, Bulma and Karnel prepared to leave.
"No need for the hover car," Karnel said, taking the capsule from Bulma's hand. "I'll get us home directly."
"How are we going to—" Bulma started to ask, but suddenly the scenery shifted around them, and they found themselves standing at the front door of Capsule Corporation.
"Wow! That's incredible, Karnel!" Bulma exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with amazement. "That's such a useful technique!"
"Just one of many skills I picked up during my travels," Karnel replied modestly.
Once home, Bulma headed to her laboratory to work on her latest projects, leaving Karnel alone in the back garden. He sat in a comfortable chair, contemplating his next move.
'What should I do now? he mused. The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament is still a few days away, and my strength won't improve significantly in that time...'
Suddenly, an idea struck him. That's right! I could plant someDivine Treeseeds and use growth acceleration magic to cultivate them quickly.
Closing his eyes, Karnel searched through the vast magical knowledge he'd acquired on Planet Adetra. Among the countless spells and techniques, he found exactly what he needed, a growth enhancement spell that could accelerate any plant's development.
Perfect, he thought, then paused as he noticed other items in his dimensional storage. 'The blood sample from King Cold... and that cloning device from the Dura star...'
He shook his head, setting those thoughts aside for now. More pressing matters required his attention.
Retrieving a large bag of Divine Tree seeds, Karnel planted them across a section of the garden and cast the growth acceleration spell. Within moments, twenty small green shoots emerged from the soil, rapidly growing into several-meter-tall saplings.
"Should be ready for harvest in just a few days," he observed with satisfaction. "I suppose I'm becoming quite the farmer."
Taking a seat at the garden table, Karnel pulled out some reference materials he'd been studying, technical manuals and artistic guides he'd collected during his travels. He needed to understand the finer points of botanical cultivation if he was going to maximize his crop yields.
The next morning, Karnel ventured out early to purchase some specialized equipment for his gardening project.
"Someone help! Robbery!" a shrill voice suddenly cut through the morning air. A speeding car came careening down the street, two bearded criminals hanging out the windows with pistols drawn.
"Why do I always encounter this sort of thing?" Karnel sighed, casually flicking two precisely controlled energy blasts that knocked both robbers unconscious without harming anyone else.
After quietly ensuring the unconscious criminals were secure for the authorities, Karnel continued to his destination.
Soon he returned to Capsule Corporation carrying a large box of supplies.
"Going out so early with such a big package," Mrs. Briefs commented cheerfully as she tended to her garden. "Planning something special?"
"Just some equipment for a personal project," Karnel replied diplomatically, heading toward the back garden.
He unpacked various tools and monitoring devices, arranging them methodically on the table as he began setting up his botanical experiment.
"Karnel, what are you working on back here?" Bulma's voice called from behind him. "And what are those strange trees? They've got fruit already!"
Karnel quickly covered his technical diagrams and turned around with a smile. "Those are Divine Tree saplings I cultivated from seeds I found during my space travels. They produce incredibly nutritious and delicious fruit, here, try one!"
In an instant, he'd flown over and harvested nearly a thousand of the golden fruits, selecting the ripest one to offer Bulma. "Just concentrate on whatever flavor you'd like to taste, and the fruit will adapt to match it."
Bulma took a bite, her eyes widening in delight. "This is amazing! It really does taste like... oh no!" She suddenly looked embarrassed. "I almost forgot, the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament starts tomorrow!"
"Perfect timing then," Karnel chuckled. "We should definitely attend. It'll be interesting to see how the competition has evolved."
As he spoke, he casually pulled out a piece of paper to wipe some fruit juice from Bulma's cheek, one of his botanical reference sheets that happened to have a detailed plant diagram on it.
Bulma glanced at the technical drawing curiously. "Is this some kind of scientific diagram? It looks really detailed."