Dragon Ball, Saiyans Don't Just Want to Get Stronger!

She stood up from her chair abruptly, eyes locked onto the doorway, a surge of overwhelming surprise nearly making her cry out!

However, the figure that stepped through the door was not the one she had been longing for, but Dr. Brief, sporting a head of messy blue hair and holding a large wrench in his hand.

"Huh? Dad?"

The surprise on Bulma's face froze instantly, replaced by a deep sense of disappointment and confusion.

"Why did you go into the Gravity Chamber?"

Dr. Brief pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, strolled slowly over to his daughter, picked up the cold cup of black tea on her desk, and downed several large gulps before letting out a long sigh:

"Phew... I'm exhausted, old man that I am. That new Gravity Chamber you built for Vitelli—it was damaged, wasn't it?"

He pointed his wrench toward the Gravity Chamber.

"I'm here to upgrade this old one to see if I can push the gravity multiplier even higher. Otherwise, if Vitelli comes back one day and finds nowhere to train, he'll start complaining about the lack of gravity again."

Bulma suddenly remembered that the Gravity Chamber, which had been the culmination of her hard work, had been completely totaled during that sparring match between Vitelli and Son Goku, with the rest of the Brief Manor suffering collateral damage as well.

A complex emotion welled up in her heart—a strong urge to do something, sparked by her father's words.

Suddenly, Bulma stood up from her chair with a "swish," hands on her hips, flames of fighting spirit burning in her eyes; her entire being seemed to be injected with new vitality!

"No need to upgrade the old one, Dad!"

Bulma's voice was firm and decisive.

"The design concept for that old one is outdated! The limit is too low, and the energy efficiency is poor! I'm going to redesign it from scratch! I'm going to build a brand-new, epoch-making Gravity Chamber for Vitelli! It needs to be sturdier! Higher gravity multipliers! More stable energy! And I'll add real-time vital sign monitoring and an extreme protection system! Yes! That's it!"

The more she spoke, the more excited she became, as if the blueprints were already unfolding in her mind.

Dr. Brief was taken aback by his daughter's sudden "ignition," but then, seeing that familiar glow of a genius scientist in Bulma's eyes, a gratified smile appeared on his face.

He nodded slowly and deliberately: "Oh? Is that so... Good. Just let me know whenever you need materials or technical support."

He sighed silently in his heart, looking at his motivated daughter with soft eyes, though his thoughts drifted far away:

Tights had run off into the universe to gather material for her novels, and he heard she was submitting work to a publisher on another planet named Tomato.

With only Bulma left at home... when exactly would that kid Vitelli propose to her? He and his wife had been looking forward to having grandchildren for a long time...

Having received her father's affirmation, Bulma rushed back to her private laboratory like a gust of wind.

The massive holographic screen lit up, and complex formulas, structural diagrams, and energy models flowed like a waterfall.

She became completely immersed, forgetting the time, forgetting her fatigue, and even... forgetting her longing.

She had only one goal: to build the strongest Gravity Chamber in the universe, worthy of that training fanatic!

Time slipped away quietly, amidst the sweat and crushing pressure of the God of Destruction Realm and the tireless lights of Bulma's laboratory.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Vitelli left Earth.

The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament was held on schedule at Papaya Island.

Without the outlier that was Vitelli, the highlights of this tournament seemed to return to the peak duels of mortals.

Although Bulma had received notice from Son Goku and the others, the thought of watching the event alone without Vitelli by her side made it seem dull and uninteresting.

She ultimately chose to watch the entire competition from the comfort of her living room in the manor, using the most advanced remote broadcast.

The matches remained spectacular, with experts from all walks of life showing off their skills.

The Crane School, represented by Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, displayed formidable strength, and Krillin also showed rapid progress.

But in the end, the championship throne was taken, without suspense, by Son Goku, whose strength had skyrocketed from his frequent visits to Brief Manor to mooch off the Gravity Chamber.

Tien Shinhan of the Crane School gave it his all in the finals, pulling out every trick in the book, even unleashing his new ultimate move, the Tri-Beam.

But he still fell before the overwhelming power, speed, and Kamehameha of Son Goku, admitting defeat with total conviction.

The hustle and bustle of the World Martial Arts Tournament gradually faded, and the world seemed to return to peace.

However, beneath this calm surface, an evil that had been dormant for hundreds of years was quietly reawakening.

Over a month later, on a desolate beach far from the city's noise.

Emperor Pilaf and his two loyal subordinates—Mai and Shu—who had been instantly wiped out by Vitelli on the road to searching for the Dragon Ball and hadn't even had the chance to state their names before being knocked out—were frowning at a rather dilapidated rice cooker with faded talismans pasted on its surface.

"Emperor Pilaf!"

Mai pointed at the rice cooker, her face filled with terror.

"You must think twice! This is... this is the container that seals King Piccolo, who nearly destroyed the world! These talismans must never be removed! If... if he gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable! We haven't achieved our dream of ruling the world yet, let's not get ourselves killed first!"

"Mai! You're too cowardly!"

Shu waved his claws, arguing fiercely.

"This is a god-given opportunity! Emperor Pilaf! Just think, as long as we release King Piccolo, with his world-destroying power, we can totally strike a deal with him! Let him conquer the world, and then we negotiate with him! Isn't that faster than us struggling to find the Dragon Ball? Opportunity knocks but once, my lord!"

"Shu! You're playing with fire!" Mai stomped her feet in anger.

"Mai! You're hindering Emperor Pilaf from achieving his great hegemony!" Shu did not back down.

"Enough!!!"

Pilaf was driven to distraction by the two arguing, the veins on his large blue head throbbing.

Unable to bear it any longer, he thrust out both hands, desperate to stop the bickering: "You two! Be—qui—et!"

Just as he reached out, his over-exaggerated movements caused his fingertips to snag—with unfortunate precision—on the edge of the fragile talisman paper atop the rice cooker lid!

The ancient seal was torn away in an instant!

Hum—!!!

The entire rice cooker began to vibrate violently!

Countless blinding purple rays of light erupted madly from the gaps in the lid!

A suffocating, evil energy wave, reeking of destruction, swept across the entire beach like a tsunami!

"Ah!!! Lord Pilaf!!!"

Mai let out a desperate shriek. Reacting with lightning speed, she grabbed the terrified Pilaf with one hand and the stunned Shu with the other, spinning around to sprint away at the fastest speed of her life!

Rumble—!!!!

A heaven-shaking explosion detonated! The violent purple shockwave from the rice cooker caught up to the fleeing trio like a hurricane!

"Waaaaah—!!!"

The three had only enough time to let out a shrill scream before being sent flying by the irresistible force.

They vanished into the distant horizon like three shooting stars.

The dust from the explosion and the rampaging purple energy slowly dissipated.

A figure with aged, deep-green skin stood steadily at the center of the blast.

He looked down at his wrinkled palms in a daze, then raised his head to gaze at the long-lost sky.

After a brief moment of disorientation, an indescribable ecstasy and monstrous hatred erupted in his chest like a volcano!

"Wu... Wahahahaha!!!"

King Piccolo let out a deafening roar of laughter, filled with endless malice and glee. The sound echoed across the beach like rolling thunder, startling countless seagulls on the distant sea!

"I am out! I am finally out!!"

He spread his arms as if to embrace the entire world, his deep-set eye sockets burning with intense flames.

"Mutaito!! You old, immortal piece of trash! Did you think a seal could kill me? Dream on!!"

"And you!!"

He suddenly looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the clouds to a specific point high above, "Coward! You coward who dared not perish with me!!!"

"I, King Piccolo, have returned!!!"

He clenched his fists, and a terrifying aura surged into the sky, churning the clouds into a frenzy.

"Tremble, world! Soon, the entire Earth will crawl beneath my feet! I will make every one of you taste a despair far deeper than the centuries I spent sealed away! Hahahaha!!!"

Ten thousand meters above Korin Tower lay the cloud-shrouded Kami's Lookout.

The aged Kami stood silently at the edge of the lookout, leaning on his staff. His clouded eyes seemed to pierce through space, clearly "seeing" the scene below as King Piccolo broke his seal and roared at the heavens.

There was no terror or anger on his aged face, only a sense of relief and calm.

A faint, almost liberated smile even touched the corners of his mouth.

"This day... has finally come."

Kami's voice was soft, heavy with the weariness of one who has seen through the world.

"It is... sooner than I expected."

He turned slowly to look at Mr. Popo, who stood as silent as a shadow behind him.

"Mr. Popo,"

Kami's voice was calm, without a ripple.

"After I die, the position of Kami... shall be passed to Vitelli."

"Kami!"

For the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared on Mr. Popo's dark face—it was concern for an old friend and... reluctance.

He wanted to speak up and dissuade him—resealing King Piccolo was not impossible; there was no need for Kami to pay with his life!

As if knowing what he was about to say, Kami gently waved his hand, stopping Mr. Popo from continuing.

"Say no more, Mr. Popo."

Kami's gaze was deep and firm.

"This is destiny. King Piccolo and I are two sides of the same coin. His existence is my greatest mistake and sin. Only my death can truly end his evil and bring genuine peace to the Earth. A seal... is merely a temporary measure. This day was bound to come."

He slowly closed his eyes, whispering to himself: "Vitelli... I hope my choice is not wrong. The future of the Earth requires great power... I leave it to you..."

For some time now, Kami had been trying to sense Vitelli's aura, but that powerful presence seemed to have vanished from the Earth entirely, leaving not even a trace behind.

This caused a seed of doubt to sprout in Kami's heart.

"Could it be... has he already left Earth? Or perhaps... gone somewhere even I cannot perceive?"

A sliver of anxiety crept into his heart. If Vitelli was not there, or if he refused to accept the position of God, then his plans...

"Mr. Popo," Kami reopened his eyes, his tone grave as he commanded, "Go to Brief Manor in West City immediately. Find Ms. Bulma. Ask her if Vitelli is still on Earth, or... where he has gone. You must convey my words; beg him to... to please come to the Lookout! It concerns the future of Earth... and the family of his girlfriend!"

"Yes, Kami-sama!"

Mr. Popo bowed deeply, saying no more.

He turned and entered the interior of the Lookout, quickly boarding a magic carpet, shooting down from Korin Tower like an arrow released from a bow, and speeding off in the direction of West City.

God of Destruction Realm.

Vitelli was focused entirely on a "sparring match" with Whis.

But to call it sparring would be more accurate to describe it as one-sided extreme evasion training.

Whis's figure was like a phantom; the staff in his hand tapped, poked, and swept seemingly at random, yet it always managed to seal off all of Vitelli's escape routes from the most treacherous angles.

Vitelli kept his ki restrained to the absolute limit, his body turning into a streak of light as he struggled to maneuver through the afterimages of Whis's staff, which appeared slow but were in fact blindingly fast.

Suddenly!

"Achoo--!"

Without any warning, Vitelli let out a massive sneeze!

The momentary distraction caused a tiny, critical flaw in his evasion rhythm!

"Ohoho~"

Whis's smiling voice rang out almost simultaneously, "You were careless, Vitelli-san~"

Thwack! A crisp tapping sound echoed.

Vitelli felt a sharp pain on the top of his head, stars dancing before his eyes, as a gentle force knocked him off balance, nearly sending him face-first to the ground.