"First stop..." Bulma sat in the car and switched on the Dragon Radar.
On the screen in her hand, a light to the east was the closest to her. It was in the vast wilderness east of Paris Town.
"The wilderness outside the eastern suburbs of Paris Town... Let's go!"
Amid the roar of the engine, the girl drove away from the familiar city, her heart filled with curiosity about the legend and anticipation of the unknown, and set off on a colorful adventure.
Beep. Beep... Beep-beep...
A faint electronic sound, almost lost in the mountain wind, rang out at regular intervals deep in the valley.
The vegetation here was dense, vines tangled everywhere, and few people ever came by.
In a secluded corner at the bottom of the valley, a streamlined silver-gray spaceship lay dormant.
Its elegant design stood out against the surrounding primordial jungle. Thick vines and moss covered the hull, and only a few faint indicator lights stubbornly blinked, proving that it wasn't entirely dead.
Judging by how thoroughly nature had reclaimed it, the ship had clearly lain silent here for a long time.
But today, a girl broke that silence.
Vrrrrooom—!
The engine's harsh roar shattered the valley's stillness, sending countless birds and small animals scattering.
"Honestly! I followed the map, so how did I get lost again?! Where in the world am I?"
Bulma rode her beloved dirt bike, struggling to make her way through the rugged, vine-choked valley.
Sharp branches had left several conspicuous scratches on the bike, which broke her heart.
"I can't take this anymore! At this rate, my collectible bike's going to be ruined!"
Bulma stopped the bike in a huff and turned off the engine. She reached behind her and pulled out the case containing her Hoi-Poi Capsules. With a soft pop, her beloved collectible bike was packed away in a Capsule.
Just as she was about to take out the Capsule containing her aircraft and leave this awful place,
a sound reached her ears and made her freeze.
"Hm? What's that sound?"
She listened closely to the wind, her sensitive ears picking up a faint, unusually regular electronic sound mixed in with it.
"Sounds like... it's coming from over there?"
Her intense curiosity instantly overwhelmed her frustration at being lost.
Following the sound, Bulma pushed her way through layers of vines and carefully made her way forward. When she finally managed to part the last enormous leaf blocking her view, the sight before her nearly took her breath away!
A huge, futuristic-looking silver-gray spaceship lay in the valley's embrace, like a sleeping steel beast!
Time had nearly made it one with the forest, but its unique streamlined shape and the occasional blink of a signal light showed that it wasn't completely broken!
And the beeping was coming from inside it!
"Oh... my goodness!"
Bulma covered her mouth in disbelief, her beautiful eyes wide as saucers.
"Th-this is a spaceship? It's... it must have been here for at least ten years, right? And it still hasn't run out of power? This kind of energy storage technology... It's incredible!"
Excited, she ran over and energetically cleared away the vegetation around the ship's hatch, heedless of the red scratches the rough vines left on her hands.
Soon, a sealed hatch came into view.
"This must be the entrance!"
Bulma's heart pounded. She was both excited and nervous.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled a small pistol from her backpack and carefully pressed a raised spot beside the hatch that looked like a button with her other hand.
Hiss—!
There was a burst of compressed air, and the heavy hatch slid slowly to one side, revealing a dark passageway filled with the feel of alien technology.
"Wow..."
Bulma tightened her grip on the pistol, then cautiously leaned in to check the area.
Inside the spaceship, unfamiliar instruments and pipes glowed pale blue and green. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
After confirming there was no danger near the entrance, she took a few deep breaths and stepped inside, trying to be brave.
"This must be... the cockpit!"
Bulma soon found the central area.
To her delight, the main control panel still had a power reading!
She tentatively touched a few buttons, and the screen actually lit up!
"Autopilot mode... it's still running? Remaining energy... low, but there's more than enough to keep the basic systems working!"
Bulma instantly forgot about the possibility of danger.
The genius girl's curiosity flared. She was quickly drawn in by the complex controls and a program called "Star Map of the Universe," and began studying it ravenously, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Her mind was utterly immersed in the ocean of technology offered by this alien craft.
After who knew how long, Bulma finally finished recording a wealth of information and suddenly remembered to explore the other parts of the spaceship.
She followed the passageway to the rear living quarters. A heavy metal door caught her attention.
"Cryogenic chamber?"
Bulma studied the marking on the door and cautiously pressed the open button. The door slid open without a sound.
In the center of the room stood a cylindrical pod. The screen of an electronic timer above its transparent cover read [1 year 11 months 29 days], but the countdown seemed to have stopped; the numbers weren't changing.
"A cryogenic pod... Could there be an alien inside?"
Bulma's heart leapt. Her palm grew damp around the pistol, but her intense curiosity—and a strange premonition—urged her on.
She circled the pod, carefully examining its external ports and indicator lights.
"Power supply normal... Life-support system... still running?"
She found a manual release valve and gritted her teeth. "Here goes!"
Summoning her courage, Bulma pulled hard on the valve!
Hiss—!!!
A rush of icy white gas poured from the seams of the pod, instantly filling the room! Bulma stumbled backward in fright, her pistol aimed tensely at the hatch!
The white vapor gradually cleared. The pod's hatch slid silently to the side.
But inside... it was empty?
No! Only when the mist had completely dispersed did Bulma see the person lying inside!
A handsome young man with a black, spiky hairstyle, wearing a dark, skin-tight Battle Suit!
His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell ever so slightly. He looked as though he were simply asleep.
"I-it's a man?! And... he's so handsome!!!"
Bulma gaped, nearly dropping her pistol.
The handsome man before her completely overturned her image of aliens as strange and misshapen creatures!
Vitelli felt as though he were floating in an endless darkness. His consciousness was hazy, and he seemed to have lost all sense of time.
Faintly, he thought he heard someone calling him.
He frowned, trying to make out the faint voice, but it soon vanished, and his consciousness was about to sink back into the depths.
Suddenly, he felt a slight shake.
The faint shaking came with a clear, curious female voice:
"Wake up! Come on, wake up! Hey, are you still alive?"
The darkness was torn apart. Fragments of hazy memories surged into his mind like a tide—
Planet Soph... departure... spaceship... cryogenic sleep... destination... Earth.
Earth?!
Vitelli snapped fully awake!
He abruptly opened his eyes. The weakness from his long cryogenic sleep was instantly swept away by a surging flood of power within him! His muscles tensed on instinct, and the aura of a sleeping dragon burst forth with a roar!
"Haah—!!!"
An invisible, powerful shockwave exploded outward from Vitelli!
The nutrient fluid left in the pod splashed everywhere, and the sturdy metal walls groaned under the force!
Bulma, standing closest, felt an irresistible force hit her. She cried out as she was thrown violently backward.
She slammed into the wall behind her and hit the ground, seeing stars. Even the pistol she'd just picked up flew out of her hand again!
Vitelli sprang out of the pod like a leopard, instantly assuming a combat stance!
His sharp gaze swept through the area like lightning!
Still inside the spaceship... safe! The only possible threat was the blue-haired girl in the corner, clutching her backside and grimacing in pain.
Earth? I made it to Earth?
Vitelli's tense nerves relaxed a little. Only then did he take a proper look at the girl he'd accidentally hurt.
Blue hair... a young girl... that familiar face...
"Ow... My butt..."
Bulma rubbed the sore spot, tears nearly welling in her eyes.
When she saw the scrutiny and slight confusion in Vitelli's gaze, her anger instantly overwhelmed both the pain and her amazement at his good looks. She struggled to stand, but after several failed attempts, she could only point at Vitelli and yell furiously:
"Hey! What's wrong with you?! Why are you so violent?! I went out of my way to rescue you, and you threw me across the room?! Do you realize that if I hadn't found this busted spaceship, you'd still be sleeping in there until the end of time? You ungrateful alien!"
Watching the girl bristle, especially as he took in her distinctive short blue hair and lively expression, Vitelli immediately recognized her—Bulma!
A central figure in the Dragon Ball world, and a peerless scientific genius!
But... had the timeline gone wrong? From the looks of it, she was already around eighteen... (Don't ask why she's eighteen.)
Had the original story's search for the Dragon Balls already begun?
"Sorry, sorry."
Vitelli gave her a warm, disarming smile and walked over, holding out a hand to Bulma as she sat on the floor.
"I just woke up, and I was still on edge. I thought you were an enemy. I'm really sorry I hurt you."
His smile and apology took the edge off Bulma's anger, especially that outstretched hand, with its long, well-defined fingers...
She hesitated, then blushed and took it. Vitelli pulled her to her feet with ease.
"Hmph! At least you have a little conscience!"
Bulma brushed the dust off her clothes. Her cheeks were still puffed up in a pout, but her eyes couldn't help wandering over Vitelli's outrageously handsome face.
She suddenly noticed the fluffy tail behind him, swaying gently without his realizing it!
So he really was an alien! But... a handsome alien!
Seeing Bulma's expression shift from anger to curiosity and then to... a bit of lovestruck admiration, Vitelli chuckled to himself. His eyes shifted as he decided to make the first move.
"Hello, my name is Vitelli. I'm deeply grateful you rescued me. I can never repay this kindness..."
He deliberately paused, watching Bulma's eyes widen with curiosity. A teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "How about... I repay you by giving myself to you?"
"Sure!" Bulma blurted out without thinking! But then she realized what she'd said, and her whole face turned bright red!
"Y-you! Who... who wants you to give yourself to me?! Pervert! Jerk! Alien pervert!"
She stamped her foot in embarrassment and pointed at Vitelli, her words tumbling over one another.
But when she looked at his handsome face, all smiles and without a hint of ill intent—at least on the surface—she couldn't muster any anger. Instead, her heart beat even faster.
"Okay, okay, I'm done joking."
Vitelli sobered up and said, "My name is Vitelli. Once again, thank you for saving my life. Miss Bulma, what year is it on Earth?"
"How do you know my name?" Bulma blinked, then her attention shifted. She proudly puffed out her chest. "My name is Bulma, and I'm eighteen this year! I'm enjoying my summer vacation! It's Age 749! But... as for repayment..."