Chapter 27: Getting Along with Bulma
"Cough, cough… Bulma, I'm actually a good guy. Everything I said before was really just a joke."
Franklin's awkward attempt at clearing things up had no effect whatsoever. Bulma's face was blank and skeptical, her dead-fish eyes clearly showing she didn't believe a word of it.
"What trick are you playing this time? Are you telling me your goal isn't just to get the radar that finds the other orbs? Do you have some other purpose? If so, you might as well say it.
Apart from our research, there's nothing valuable in our family. We're honest people — we don't say more than we should. You don't need to keep messing with us."
Faced with her suspicion and distrust, Franklin felt truly helpless. It had started as a spur-of-the-moment prank and a chance to steer things a little, but he hadn't expected that to turn him into the villain in Bulma's eyes.
"I'm really sorry, Bulma. I swear I'm a good person. Mrs. Brief and Dr. Brief can vouch for me. I was just trying to scare you a little earlier. If you don't believe me, think about how your mom treated me just now.
Oh, and your house probably has surveillance cameras everywhere, right? You can check the footage from around 9:30 this morning — from the front gate all the way to the warehouse. That should prove my innocence."
After all that explaining and clarifying, Bulma finally, though still extremely wary, opened the surveillance footage to check. When she saw that it really was Franklin who had saved the dying Dr. Brief, all her resentment melted away. What remained was a mix of gratitude and annoyance.
"How old are you, anyway? Are you just bored all the time? Do you think messing with me like this is fun?"
Hearing the exasperation in Bulma's voice, Franklin finally let out a breath of relief. He said helplessly, "I'm really sorry. I honestly just wanted to joke around. I didn't think you'd take it so seriously.
But when I saw how into it you were, I got caught up in it too. Then when I tried to stop and explain, you still didn't believe me, so I leaned into it even more. Before I knew it, things had spiraled to this point."
Bulma grew even more furious at that explanation. She suddenly lunged forward and tried to bite Franklin's arm. But he was faster — he grabbed her effortlessly, spun her around once, and then set her back down where she had been.
Realizing she couldn't win and seeing the difference in their size and his strange abilities, Bulma's anger boiled over.
"Franklin, you jerk! This isn't over!"
As she shouted, Bulma angrily grabbed the Dragon Ball and hurled it at him. "What is this orb, really? Are you telling me there are six others like it around the world, seven in total?"
Catching the Dragon Ball, Franklin casually toyed with it in his hand. He had no intention of hiding the truth.
"That part is true. There are seven of these orbs, and they're called Dragon Balls. Each one has a red star in its center, ranging from one to seven stars.
If you gather all seven and chant the summoning incantation, you can summon Shenron — the dragon god. You can then make any wish you like, and as long as it's within his power, he'll grant it."
Bulma stared at him skeptically. "Are you trying to trick me again? There's no way something that convenient could exist in the real world."
Franklin smiled faintly, a mysterious look in his eyes. "I thought it was fake too — until I saw the real thing in your family's warehouse.
Of course, if you don't trust me, you can always look it up online. I'm sure there are legends about it floating around."
"I'll accept that… for now." Bulma exhaled deeply, her expression growing much more serious. She locked eyes with Franklin, as if trying to see straight through him.
"Then who are you, really?"
Seeing her acting like an adult interrogator, Franklin nearly burst out laughing. He barely held it back — after all, they'd only just managed to smooth things over, and laughing now would ruin everything.
"Ahem, Bulma, what do you mean by 'who am I'?"
"Hmph. I hacked into the national database and checked every person named Franklin. None of them are you. There isn't a single record of you — not even on foreign networks. Are you really named Franklin?"
Hearing that, Franklin secretly sighed in relief. Of course there was no record of him — he hadn't even been born at this point in time.
"Oh, that? Totally normal. 'Franklin' is just an alias. I'm not about to go around using my real name — that'd be too dangerous. All you need to know is that I mean you no harm."
Bulma stared at him intently. "I don't believe you. Who knows if you're a good guy or a bad guy? Sure, you saved my dad, but that doesn't prove anything."
That blunt rejection made Franklin's face darken. "You really are a handful, kid. If I'd known you were going to say that, I wouldn't have saved him.
Or how about I become the bad guy right now and threaten you? Like, 'Bulma, if you don't build the radar to find the Dragon Balls, I won't spare your family.' Would that make it easier for you to believe I'm the villain?"
Faced with that, Bulma had no choice but to sigh and apologize.
"I was wrong. I won't say things like that again. I'll make the radar as soon as possible."
Her sudden and easy admission of fault caught Franklin off guard. "That's it? You're agreeing way too fast. I was just making a point — you could've argued back."
Bulma shook her head slightly, her expression cold. "If you're capable of saying it, then you're capable of doing it. We don't have abilities like yours. When you're weak, you have to understand your place. You can go now — I'll start building the Dragon Radar."
Feeling the temperature between them drop again, Franklin was speechless. He really couldn't figure out what was going on in a woman's head. If he kept trying to explain, he was going to lose his mind.
At that moment, Franklin realized something: instead of trying so hard to win Bulma over directly, it might be smarter to win over her parents first.
"Bulma, there's no rush to make the Dragon Radar. Go spend some time with your mom and dad first — reassure them so they don't worry about you.
And as for not wanting to go to school, I'll convince them to stop forcing you once you finish compulsory education. After that, you can do whatever you want. How's that?"
Bulma curled her lip, her young face full of disdain. "Don't try those childish tricks on me. I don't want to go to school now. All those basic lessons — I finished learning them from elementary through high school ages ago. Going now is just a waste of time."
Since that didn't work, Franklin thought for a moment and then switched tactics.
"How about this: once you build the Dragon Radar and finish compulsory education, I'll personally take you to gather all seven Dragon Balls so you can make a wish. How does that sound?"
Bulma's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? No take-backs — if you go back on your word, you're a puppy!"
Seeing her excitement, Franklin sighed helplessly. As expected, she was still a kid — the promise of an adventure was irresistible. At least now, he didn't have to worry about the main Dragon Ball quest stalling.
"Don't worry, I won't go back on it. There's no rush on the Dragon Radar — just work on it when you have time. I'll even give you this Dragon Ball as a token. If I ever forget my promise, you can show it to me to remind me."
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