The Gravity Room

West City Center, Capsule Corporation headquarters.

This enormous cluster of hemispherical buildings was the pinnacle of human technology.

Automated security robots, antigravity elevators, and holographic projections everywhere all proclaimed the family's wealth, which rivaled that of an entire nation.

Bulma practically dragged Krillin through the front door at a jog.

The blush on her face hadn't faded.

Partly because the fight had been so thrilling, and partly because the two of them still hadn't let go of each other's hands.

The servants and robots they passed stared at the scene in surprise.

After all, although the young miss had dated several boyfriends, she rarely showed such girlish bashfulness.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

Bulma pushed open the huge electronic door and called out, her voice brimming with barely concealed excitement.

"Oh my, Bulma's home?"

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, who looked perpetually as young as a twenty-year-old, came out carrying a tray.

She was Bulma's mother, Mrs. Briefs.

She spotted Krillin standing beside Bulma at once, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh ho ho, and who's this?"

Mrs. Briefs had absolutely no sense of personal space. She set down the tray and came right over.

She even reached out and squeezed Krillin's arm, letting out an admiring gasp.

"What a strong young man!"

"These muscles—my, my, they're so firm! Much better than that boy Yamcha, who only knows how to show off."

"Bulma, is this your new boyfriend? You've got good taste!"

"Mom!"

Bulma's face turned bright red, and she hurriedly pulled her mother away.

"Don't just touch him! He's Krillin! Krillin! You know, the little bald kid from before!"

"Krillin?"

Mrs. Briefs covered her mouth in astonishment, her eyes wide.

"My goodness, you've changed so much!"

"Come on in, come on in! Auntie just baked some little cakes. Have as many as you like!"

Just then, Dr. Brief came gliding out of the laboratory on a one-wheeled hovercraft, a black cat perched on his shoulder and a pipe in his mouth.

"Oh, Krillin. You've gotten so tall."

The doctor adjusted his glasses. His intelligent eyes scanned Krillin through the lenses, though his attention was clearly focused on something most people wouldn't notice.

"Hmm... Your body density seems unusually high. The ground vibrates differently with every step you take."

"I heard an explosion outside just now. Was that you?"

"Sorry, Doctor. We were just sparring a little." Krillin nodded politely.

"No problem, no problem. Young people are full of energy. That's a good thing."

The doctor waved a hand, entirely unconcerned.

"Just don't take apart the Gravity Room I just finished repairing."

At the words "Gravity Room," Krillin's calm eyes suddenly flashed.

This was one of the main reasons he had come here.

You could even say it was second in importance only to winning Bulma over.

The Saitama Template was powerful, but as his fusion rate increased, ordinary conditions on Earth were no longer enough to train him.

He hadn't even broken a sweat fighting Yamcha just now.

If he wanted to keep improving, and not just stand around doing nothing during the Saiyan invasion arc, he needed to push himself harder.

"Doctor, there's actually something I'd like to ask you to help me with."

Krillin didn't beat around the bush. He got straight to the point.

"I need training equipment that can adjust gravity. I know that won't be difficult for you."

"Oh? Gravity training?"

Dr. Brief grew interested.

"How many times normal gravity?"

"At least a hundred to start."

Krillin gave the number calmly.

"Pfft..."

The pipe nearly fell from Dr. Brief's mouth, and even the normally unflappable black cat's fur stood on end.

"A hundred times?!"

The doctor's eyes widened.

"Young man, do you know what you're asking for?"

"That's the gravity at the bottom of the deep sea or on the surface of a massive planet."

"An ordinary person's bones would be crushed to powder in an instant, and their internal organs would rupture."

"Even Goku can't withstand that much gravity right now."

Krillin clenched his fist, and the air in his palm burst with a sharp crack.

"If you don't push yourself to your limits, how can you break through them?"

"And one more thing!"

Bulma suddenly cut in. She pulled a stack of design sketches from her bag, having secretly drawn them on the way back.

"Dad, you don't just have to build the Gravity Room. You have to help me make this, too!"

"I'm going to have a Battle Suit custom-made for Krillin."

"We need to use the latest Nano Memory Fiber. It has to be super stretchy, or his clothes will burst whenever he exerts himself. That gets expensive!"

As she spoke, she cast a rueful glance at the orange Martial Arts Uniform Krillin wore. Its seams were already starting to split, and her eyes were full of concern.

Krillin rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed.

He really had burst his clothes several times over the past few days. Ordinary fabric simply couldn't withstand the strain when his muscles expanded.

"All right, all right. We'll do whatever you say."

Dr. Brief gazed fondly at his daughter, then gave Krillin a long look.

"Looks like things are going to get lively around here. Come with me. There's a prototype in the basement."

Dinner proceeded in an extremely strange yet harmonious atmosphere.

The long dining table was piled high with food.