Gravity Chamber

"Hey! Are you planning on breaking your word?" A nimble, chubby man hopped into the aircraft cabin with a whoosh.

Raditz focused his gaze on the newcomer, only then suddenly remembering what he had forgotten.

"Heh, I'm taking you now, aren't I, Yajirobe?" Raditz laughed sheepishly.

"Hmph! I figured you were just trying to welch on that big meal you promised." Yajirobe looked sullen, his face full of disbelief.

"How could I?" Raditz took a Senzu Bean from a Hoi-Poi Capsule and handed it over. "Here, cool your temper. Have a bean."

"Hey! Don't think you can fob me off with some lousy bean!" Yajirobe glared at the unremarkable green bean in his hand, his tone fierce.

"Just an appetizer, give it a try," Raditz said.

Yajirobe shot him a suspicious look, but tossed the bean into his mouth anyway.

"Tch, tastes terrible, and it doesn't even fill—ugh?!" Before he could finish, a wave of satiety instantly swept through his entire body.

Watching the chubby man beside him swell even larger, Raditz felt his prank had succeeded and couldn't help but chuckle. "How about that? Still hungry? The big meal I promised is still on; we're heading out now."

With that, he accelerated the craft toward West City, heading for the nearest restaurant.

Although Raditz didn't have much money, he had stumbled upon some valuable jewelry and gold while collecting the Dragon Balls. Selling them for cash was more than enough to treat someone to a grand feast.

"Welcome, please come in. It's a buffet, so please enjoy yourselves," the waiter greeted the new guests enthusiastically.

"Yajirobe, eat your fill. Take whatever you want," Raditz said with a grand wave of his hand.

The little fatty shot him a sideways glance. "You guy, what did you feed me earlier? Why am I not hungry at all?"

"So, are you still going to eat?"

"Eat! I've been waiting months for this feast. I won't stop until I eat you into bankruptcy!"

"Hahaha!"

West City, outside the Briefs' villa.

"This is your house?" Yajirobe looked over the luxurious residence, his tone filled with surprise.

"No way, it's a friend's place."

"That makes sense. You're so stingy, there's no way you'd have a house this big."

"..." Raditz was momentarily speechless.

"Alright, I'm off. See you next time." Yajirobe waved his hand, turned, and waddled away.

Watching him disappear around the corner, Raditz turned and walked into Bulma's house.

"Mrs. Brief, good afternoon!"

Raditz greeted the beautiful woman who was, as usual, refreshing herself in the garden.

"Oh my, it's Bulma's little boyfriend~" Mrs. Brief said with a smile. "Bulma and her father are in the laboratory."

Raditz was long accustomed to the "standard title" used by Bulma's mother, so he didn't bother explaining. He nodded and headed straight toward the laboratory area.

The experimental zone at the Briefs' home was vast. After checking several cluttered labs, he finally found the pair in a hemispherical building.

Dr. Brief and Bulma were buried in a pile of complex instruments and equipment, working so intently on adjustments that they didn't even notice Raditz approaching.

Seeing that the two were still busy, Raditz didn't disturb them. He found a corner, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.

His strength had been increasing rapidly lately, and Raditz needed to adjust his mental state to its peak to face the upcoming special training.

Time slipped away quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.

Bulma and her father finally finished their work.

"Wow! When did you get here? You didn't even make a sound." Bulma was startled when she suddenly noticed the figure sitting in the corner of the room.

"Oh, I saw you were busy, so I didn't want to disturb you." Raditz stood up, his eyes filled with anticipation. "So? Is the Gravity Chamber ready to use?"

"Well... Dad says it's still missing one thing," Bulma said, looking at the excited Raditz with a deadpan expression.

"Missing what?"

"A stereo system. Bulma said you wanted to train here, so how could you do it without music?" Dr. Brief turned around, adjusted his glasses, and looked quite serious.

"Even during grueling training, one needs beautiful melodies to relax the body and mind."

Raditz: "..." That would be quite comfortable.

Raditz acknowledged Dr. Brief's passion for quality of life.

Who doesn't want to enjoy themselves?

But that should only happen once you have the strength to back it up, right?

"Doctor, if we skip the stereo, can it be used right now?"

"You really don't want it?"

"I don't." Raditz was firm.

"Sigh, young people really don't know how to enjoy life. Come with me, I'll show you how to start it up."

Dr. Brief shook his head and led Raditz to the control console in the center of the room.

"This is an artificial regulator for adjusting gravity. It can produce a tenfold gravity effect."

"You must be careful not to set it too high. Ten times gravity, if you weigh 50 kilograms, you'll have a weight of 500 kilograms."

"Your body will be directly compressed and damaged..."

"Doctor, can it only produce up to ten times gravity?" Raditz pressed.

"Well... the theoretical limit can actually reach a hundred times, but I can only control it to ten times. I'm afraid you'll operate it improperly and crush yourself to death," the doctor said, half-jokingly.

"That's fine."

Raditz knew himself well enough. Adapting to ten times gravity at this stage was already his physical limit; anything higher would be self-mutilation.

"Oh, right, can this Gravity Chamber be stored in a Hoi-Poi Capsule?" Raditz suddenly realized a crucial point.

"This... we haven't considered that yet. If you request it, it can be done, but it will take time."

"I see..."

Indeed, he hadn't thought it through and hadn't informed the doctor in advance.

Since that was the case...

Raditz turned to Bulma, feeling a bit embarrassed to ask, "Then... Bulma, can I stay here for a while?"

He considered himself friends with Bulma, but he still felt a little uneasy about living in her house long-term. He scratched his head and added, "If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word."

"You can stay. Stay as long as you want. There's nothing you need to do," Bulma replied without hesitation, very readily. "Besides, you provided the spaceship, so let's consider it mutual help between friends?"

Bulma's answer momentarily stunned Raditz, and he stared blankly at the delicate face of the girl before him.

"Cough! Cough cough!" Dr. Brief cleared his throat at the opportune moment, interrupting the young man's rather direct gaze.

"Uh... well, thank you very much," Raditz snapped back to reality and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Are you an idiot?" Seeing Raditz's flustered state, Bulma rolled her eyes.

"Haha." Raditz gave a dry laugh, unable to hide his embarrassment.

The next morning.

After resting for a night, Raditz adjusted his spirit and energy to their peak.

He walked into the Gravity Chamber again, and the iron door behind him closed.

"The weighted training I did before was around 1.5 times gravity. This time, I'll start with 3 times..."

Raditz had carried heavy objects while climbing Korin Tower, so he already had a foundation at 1.5 times gravity and could adapt easily.

He took a deep breath and turned on the gravity control switch.

Bzzzz--

Instantly, an invisible pressure swept over his entire body, slamming down forcefully.

Raditz's knees buckled, his bones creaked slightly, and his internal organs felt like they were sinking.

"Ugh..."

He grunted, his back involuntarily hunching.

"As expected, it's different from simple weight-bearing. It's a comprehensive compression from the inside out."

"But it's manageable, within an acceptable range. So... I'll start with the basics."

Raditz slowly lowered his body, pressing his palms to the ground. Under the astonishing weight evenly distributed across his body, he began his first push-up.

"One, two, three..."

Bulma woke up early today because she knew someone was starting his special training.

For some reason, she wanted to see how it was going.

Holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee, she strolled into the hallway and peered through the thick window of the Gravity Chamber.

Raditz was inside, sweating.

He wasn't performing flashy or extreme movements, but the most basic and tedious exercises: squats, push-ups, and sit-ups.

However, under the added 3 times gravity, each movement was exceptionally heavy, and with every exertion, his clear muscle lines tensed.

His clothes were already soaked with sweat.

Bulma leaned against the window, took a sip of coffee, and glanced at the heart rate and gravity parameters displayed on the screen beside her. The data was stable and showed no abnormalities.

"Hmph, he's really getting into it," she muttered to herself, a slight smile playing on her lips.

At that moment, Raditz inside completed a set of exercises and took a short break.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his face and inadvertently turned his head, his gaze meeting Bulma's outside the window.

Bulma raised an eyebrow and casually waved at him.

Looking at the relaxed figure by the window, the tension on Raditz's face seemed to ease slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared.

He didn't speak, just nodded, then turned back to continue his next set of physical training.

His movements seemed even steadier and more focused than before.