No one disliked being praised, especially women.
Son Gohan's flattery had clearly pleased Bulma, and she became even more thorough in her inspection.
After taking the Scouter apart piece by piece, she picked up a module about the size of a grain of rice from the table.
"Look. Unless I'm mistaken, this must be the listening and tracking device you mentioned."
"My tests show that it's the only part of the machine emitting some kind of unusual magnetic wave, and it's doing so at an incredibly fast rate."
"If, as you said, there's a device capable of detecting something across the vast distances of the universe, then this is probably it!"
"Huh? You found it that quickly? I thought you might still be a little out of your depth at your age. I brought it over thinking that if you couldn't fix it, I could go home and ask Dr. Brief to take a look."
Son Gohan muttered in surprise.
"Hey! I may be young, but I've already taught myself the entire graduate curriculum in electrical engineering! Do you even know what graduate school is?"
"Don't you dare underestimate me!"
"And how do you know my dad's name?"
Bulma had picked up on another little detail in the conversation.
"Of course I guessed. Although Goku and I live in seclusion on Mount Paozu, I've been to the city before. I know about the famous Capsule Corporation, at the very least."
"Since the company belongs to the richest family on Earth, I learned a bit about it."
"I know that the head of the company is a doctor named Brief."
"And you're Bulma. You're wearing Capsule Corp gear from head to toe, and you toss around Hoi-Poi Capsules like they're free."
"Anyone with an ordinary level of intelligence would put two and two together, wouldn't they?"
Son Gohan shrugged.
"If I were you, I'd disguise myself the next time I went on an adventure. At least cover up a little. There are plenty of bad people out there—you can't count on getting lucky and running into us every time!"
He took the opportunity to show his concern, and Bulma felt a warm, comforting glow inside.
Even though her heart was surging, she still put on a tough front.
"Hmph! So what if there are bad people? The gun I'm carrying isn't just for show!"
"But have you considered that there are experts among the bad people, too? There are plenty of Martial Artists on Earth who are stronger than us brothers, and some of them are Great Demons who kill without batting an eye!"
"They say cultivation requires wealth, companions, methods, and a suitable place. If a Great Demon kidnapped you to be his bride, he'd have all of those, wouldn't he?"
After taking the listening module from Bulma, he examined it as he continued to scare her.
He stared at it for a while, but couldn't make heads or tails of it, so he simply crushed the little thing in his hand.
"That should keep Earth safe for now!"
"Y-you're scaring me!"
The more Bulma listened, the more reasonable Son Gohan's words seemed. She didn't dare talk tough anymore.
"That was way too scary!"
Seeing that she'd changed her tune and that his warning had gotten through to her, Son Gohan turned and sat back down in his chair.
"Maybe. It was just a guess, after all."
Bulma's hands paused for a moment, then she continued reassembling the Battle Scanner. Neither of them said another word for quite some time.
As time passed, sweat began to bead on Bulma's forehead. But she was so focused on putting together the delicate device that she didn't bother to wipe it away.
"Finally, it's done!"
After putting the last tiny nut back in place, Bulma looked at the little device in front of her and happily wiped away her sweat.
"Come to think of it, you said this battle device is really useful for people who practice martial arts. So why give it to me?"
"To me, it's just a toy. Martial Artists should rely on themselves, not on auxiliary tools in a fight."
"Besides, sometimes it can give you misleading readings."
"From what I understand, Martial Artists on Earth generally control their energy. When they aren't fighting, they instinctively suppress it, so the device usually only measures the Battle Power they're letting show. That could make someone careless and get them killed."
"What a letdown. I thought alien technology would be a lot more impressive."
Bulma muttered, evidently far less interested in it now.
"Don't be discouraged. It's just right for you."
"At least once you put it on, you'll know roughly how strong the person in front of you is. That should help you make better decisions."
Just as they were about to continue talking, a string of excited shouts rang out in the distance.
"Sounds like Goku and the others are back! I wonder how much they caught. Let's go see."
Son Gohan called to Bulma, then headed outside first.
Bulma started to follow him, but halfway there, she seemed to remember something. She turned back, picked up the Battle Scanner from the table, and put it on.
"Let's see what this thing can do."
The desolate plains lay beneath the moonlight. Apart from the howling wind, there was rarely a sound.
Son Goku excitedly climbed down from the dragon. Several wolves, their legs bound, were strung along the Ruyi Staff on his back.
"Looks like a good haul, Goku!"
Son Gohan felt pretty pleased at the sight of their catch.
The thing Saiyans loved most, besides fighting, was a good meal.
In that regard, he was much the same, both in his previous life and this one.
"Thanks for your hard work, Ribut, Goku. I'll take it from here. You two rest for now. I'll call you when dinner's ready!"
Son Gohan stepped forward and took the Ruyi Staff from Goku, ready to prepare the ingredients and turn them into a delicious meal.
"Beep, beep, beep!"
"Battle Power: 7..."
"Battle Power: 13..."
"Battle Power: 39!"
Bulma stared at the numbers on the display, dumbfounded.
Although she had no idea what the numbers meant, comparing them was enough to tell her one thing.
Those two boys were terrifying!
"That huge pterosaur only has a single-digit Battle Power of 7..."
"But Son Goku's Battle Power was way higher than its before!"
"M-more terrifying still, Gohan's Battle Power is an incredible 39! That stupid dragon, Ribut, doesn't even have a fraction of his power!"
She looked at Ribut, crouched on the ground and taller than her house, then looked over at the two Son brothers, each shorter than the last. Her mind reeled in confusion.
"This... this has to be wrong, doesn't it?"
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