Bulma Was Over the Moon

At that moment, Licks opened his eyes too.

But as soon as he did, he looked ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Your Highnesses. I still haven't mastered the techniques for using those two kinds of energy."

Tarble reassured him. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it after a few more tries."

Vegeta frowned but didn't say anything.

Martial arts prodigies weren't weeds by the roadside, growing in abundance.

He'd understood that long ago.

He just hadn't been willing to admit defeat.

At that, Licks' gaze grew resolute. He encouraged himself, saying, "Yes, Your Highness. I'll work hard!"

Just then, Trunks arrived overhead with Bulma and Son Goten, then descended to the ground.

Before they'd even landed, Trunks spotted Vegeta and shouted, "Dad, we're here!"

Son Goten, dressed in his martial arts uniform, spotted Son Gohan too and called out, "Big brother, I'm here!"

Their voices had barely faded when all three landed successfully, coming to a stop in front of the others.

"Bulma, perfect timing." Vegeta pointed at Tarble and Licks beside him and ordered bluntly, "This is my younger brother, Tarble. The other one is his subordinate."

"They're planning to live on Earth, so arrange somewhere for them to stay."

He didn't need to introduce them, really. The sharp-eyed Bulma had already noticed Tarble and Licks in their Battle Suits.

The tails coiled around their waists told her they were Saiyans.

And Tarble's features bore a strong resemblance to Vegeta's.

Clever as she was, she'd already figured out that Tarble was Vegeta's younger brother.

As for arranging accommodation, that was child's play for her, the richest person on Earth.

Beaming, she greeted them at once. "Oh, hello, Tarble. I'm Bulma, Vegeta's wife."

Tarble smiled back at Bulma, who had clearly taken some care with her appearance. "Hello, sister-in-law. I'm Tarble."

Licks chimed in at just the right moment. "Your servant, Licks, greets you, Princess Bulma."

At the words "sister-in-law" and "Princess," Bulma was over the moon. Her smile grew even brighter.

"Tarble, can I call you that from now on?" she asked softly.

Tarble nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

With a smile still tugging at her lips, Bulma glanced at Trunks. "This is my son, Trunks."

She took Trunks by the hand and prompted him, "Trunks, go on. Say hello to your uncle."

"Huh? Uncle?" Trunks wasn't too keen on it, but under Bulma's watchful gaze, he dutifully called out, "Hello, Uncle Tarble. Hello, Uncle Licks."

As he greeted them, he sized them up in secret.

Huh? How come they're so weak?

"Ah, good, good!" Tarble replied. Only then did it hit him that he should give Trunks a present for their first meeting.

Oh no!

He'd forgotten to bring a gift!

Wait, I've got it!

With that thought, he took the Scouter from his ear and held it out. "Here, Trunks. Your uncle came in a hurry and didn't bring you a present."

"I'll give you this Scouter!"

Trunks stared at it curiously. "A Scouter?"

"What does it do?"

"A Scouter can measure someone's battle power and display it as a number," Tarble explained. "But this one's testing limit is too low. It needs some improvements."

Hearing that it could measure battle power, Trunks immediately grew interested. "Really?"

He reached out, then pulled his hand back and glanced at Bulma for permission.

Bulma smiled. "It's a gift from your uncle, so go ahead and take it. I can improve it for you later."

"Now, don't forget to thank Uncle Tarble."

Only then did Trunks reach out for the Scouter. "Thank you, Uncle Tarble!"

Seeing his friend get a present, Son Goten wanted one too. He promptly asked, "Uncle Tarble, um... I'd like a Scouter too..."

As soon as he said it, he remembered Chi-Chi's lesson that he shouldn't ask people for things.

He lowered his head at once, nervously rubbing his little hands against his pants.

Tarble pretended to be confused. "And who might this little guy be?"

Just then, Son Gohan walked over with an apologetic look and an awkward smile. "Sorry, Uncle Tarble. This is my younger brother, Son Goten. We're both Dad's... um... Son Goku's sons. That is, Kakarot's sons."

Then he turned to Son Goten and gave him a sincere lecture, his voice gentle but firm.

"Goten, we shouldn't ask people for presents. Understand?"

"That's very impolite."

Son Goten poked his index fingers together, lowered his head, and replied quietly, "I'm sorry, Big Brother. I forgot for a moment."

Seeing that, Bulma, in a wonderful mood, immediately stepped in to smooth things over. "Gohan, don't blame Goten."

"I'll make another one later and give it to him."

"That's very kind of you, but..." Son Gohan said with an awkward smile.

Bulma didn't feel like going back and forth with him. She made the decision on the spot. "It's settled, then."

Just then, she spotted several deep pits not far away.

"Oh, why are there so many craters over there?"

"Tarble, didn't you come with just one other person?"

At that, Tarble briefly explained what had happened.

Once he finished, Bulma said with a dawning look, "Oh, so that's what happened!"

"Now that it's all settled, let's go to our place."

"Gohan, Krillin, we're having a get-together at our house tonight. You're all coming, right?"

"Vegeta and Tarble have been reunited, so we should celebrate."

However.

Vegeta objected coldly. "Bulma, don't make a fuss over something so pointless!"

Unfortunately for him, Bulma immediately planted her hands on her hips and scolded him. "Vegeta, fine, you never told me about Tarble all these years!"

"But now I want to throw him a welcome-home party. Is that not allowed either?"

At that, Vegeta gave an arrogant snort and wisely shut his mouth.

When it came to arguing, ten of him couldn't beat Bulma.

Besides, he loved the woman far too much to argue with her.

Usually, they only bickered a little. They'd never really fought!

And right now, he also felt he owed Tarble something, so he let Bulma make the arrangements.

He just didn't want to spend time with Yamcha and the others.

Seeing his expression, Bulma rolled her eyes, feeling a little helpless.

Then she turned back to Son Gohan and the others and invited them again. "Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, Chiaotzu—you're all coming, right?"

Faced with such a warm invitation, Son Gohan and the others readily agreed.

When they'd all said yes, Bulma immediately waved an arm. "Wonderful!"

Then, remembering something, she looked at Son Gohan and asked, "Gohan, is your dad home?"

"He hasn't gone off to train again, has he?"

Hearing that, Son Gohan scratched the back of his head sheepishly and grinned. "Aunt Bulma, Dad did go to train with North Kai again."

"He probably can't make it, since there's no way to let him know."