The moment the door to the underground laboratory opened, a thick mixture of coffee and machine oil filled Krillin's nose.
A gigantic holographic display dominated the room.
Endless streams of data cascaded down the screen like a digital waterfall.
Test tubes of every color spun wildly inside centrifuges, producing a constant mechanical hum.
Bulma stood in the center of it all.
She wore a white lab coat and a pair of thick protective goggles.
Her hair was tied into a messy bun behind her head.
A steaming cup of espresso rested in one hand while she stared into a microscope and laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha! I found it!"
"I finally found it!"
"I knew there was a secret hidden in here!"
"What's got you so excited, honey?"
"Did you discover a new continent or something?"
Krillin walked over and gently rested a hand on her trembling shoulder.
A stream of soft ki flowed into her body, easing the fatigue from countless sleepless nights.
"Krillin! Perfect timing!"
Bulma spun around, yanked off her goggles, and pointed at the display.
Her blue eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion.
Yet they shone brighter than ever.
"Look at this!"
She enlarged a complex double-helix structure on the screen.
"This is the original Saiyan genetic sequence."
"I extracted it from Frieza's ship database."
Then she switched to another set of data.
"And this..."
She cleared her throat.
"This came from Vegeta's blood samples."
"And from the tissue analysis of that Saiyan tail you brought back years ago."
Krillin almost laughed.
Getting those blood samples had not been easy.
Vegeta's pride was legendary.
At first, he had outright refused.
"What?"
"You expect a Saiyan prince to hand over his royal blood for some ridiculous experiment?"
Then Bulma had casually placed a blueprint in front of him.
500x Gravity Chamber: Ultimate Hell Edition
Along with one simple offer.
"Ten tubes of blood."
"And this beauty will be finished tomorrow."
"Comes with a full set of automatic medical robots, too."
The expression on Vegeta's face at that moment had been priceless.
Desire.
Conflict.
Humiliation.
Temptation.
Every emotion battled across his face.
In the end, the proud Saiyan prince silently rolled up his sleeve.
While the blood was being drawn, he kept muttering through clenched teeth.
"This is all for surpassing Kakarot..."
"All for surpassing Kakarot..."
Krillin shook off the memory.
"So what did you find?"
"S-Cells!"
"And more importantly, the catalyst for S-Cells!"
Bulma nearly jumped with excitement.
"I discovered that a Saiyan's tail isn't just a switch for transforming into a Great Ape."
"It's also a gland."
"A biological organ that secretes a unique enzyme."
"This enzyme dramatically increases S-Cell activity."
She pointed rapidly across several graphs.
"The reason Goku and Vegeta struggled with certain transformations after adulthood is because their tails were gone."
"Without the tail, the enzyme stopped being produced."
"But!"
Her eyes blazed with excitement.
"If we can reactivate the dormant enzyme using specific radiation frequencies..."
"Or synthesize it artificially..."
She paused dramatically.
"We might be able to create a Super Saiyan serum."
"Or an advanced training chamber that accelerates transformation far more efficiently."
"This is revolutionary!"
"If it works, even people without Saiyan blood might be able to break through their genetic limitations!"
Krillin stared blankly.
Most of the scientific explanation flew right over his head.
But one phrase stood out.
Break through genetic limitations.
Bulma was basically trying to recreate the evolutionary pathway of Super Saiyan 4 ahead of time.
If she succeeded...
The overall strength of Earth's defenders would leap to an entirely new level.
As expected.
His wife was the real overpowered cheat code.
Sometimes her scientific genius felt more useful than the Dragon Balls.
"You've worked hard, honey."
Krillin pulled her into a gentle hug.
"But research is still research."
"You need rest."
"Take a few days off."
"Rest?"
"Absolutely not!"
Bulma broke free instantly and dove back toward her workstation.
"Inspiration doesn't wait!"
"Don't distract me!"
"Oh, right."
"If you've got nothing better to do, go check on Trillin."
"Make sure he doesn't corrupt Bura with his nonsense."
A few moments later, Krillin found himself standing outside the lab.
Rejected.
Again.
He rubbed his nose helplessly.
"Well..."
"Guess I'll visit Goku."
"Let's see what those battle maniacs are up to."
Mount Paozu
Krillin appeared beside the dining table with Instant Transmission.
As expected, Goku was in the middle of devouring an enormous bowl of food larger than his own head.
Empty plates were stacked beside him like miniature mountains.
"Mmph! Krillin!"
"You're here!"
His mouth was stuffed with chicken legs.
Even while speaking, he casually handed over a roasted pig trotter.
"Quick, eat!"
"Chi-Chi's roasted pork is amazing!"
From the kitchen, Chi-Chi peeked out while wearing an apron.
"Oh my, Krillin!"
"Come sit down!"
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Though she constantly complained about Goku's obsession with food and training, the smile on her face was impossible to miss.
Every month, Krillin's family quietly deposited money into Goku's account.
Goku had never been good at earning a living.
Krillin didn't want his friend wasting training time worrying about basic necessities.
Nor did he want Chi-Chi spending her entire life struggling to support two bottomless stomachs.
Since money was no longer an issue, Chi-Chi didn't need to count every penny.
She smiled more often now.
In fact, she looked noticeably younger than she had in the original timeline.
"Where's Gohan?"
Krillin asked while taking a bite of the roasted meat.
"Upstairs in the study."
Chi-Chi pointed toward the second floor.
"He's been studying nonstop lately."
"Says he wants to become a great scholar someday."
Just then, Gohan rushed downstairs carrying a stack of books.
The moment he saw Krillin, his eyes lit up.
"Uncle Krillin!"
"Did you bring Bura?"
He looked around eagerly.
When he failed to find the little girl, disappointment appeared on his face.
"Not today."
"Trillin took her out to play."
Krillin chuckled.
Bura really was everyone's favorite.
Even a bookworm like Gohan couldn't stop thinking about her.
"Tch."
"Of course it's Trillin again."
Gohan muttered under his breath.
Then he immediately returned to his usual polite self.
"Uncle Krillin, I heard Dad is fighting Uncle Vegeta again today?"
"Fighting?"
Krillin blinked.
At that exact moment, a violent surge of ki erupted from the forest outside.
BOOM!
Several massive trees were ripped from the ground.
A blue-clad figure surrounded by golden energy shot into the sky and hovered outside the window.
Vegeta.
Arms crossed.
Scowl firmly in place.
He looked as though someone owed him five million zeni.
"Kakarot!"
"Are you done eating yet?!"
"Stop stuffing your face like a pig and come out here!"
His voice dripped with aggression.
Ever since leaving the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Vegeta had challenged Goku almost every day.
He lost more often than he won.
Yet each defeat only fueled his determination.
And his growth was becoming increasingly obvious.
Goku swallowed his final mouthful and wiped his mouth.
"Heh."
"Alright, alright, Vegeta."
"Why are you always in such a hurry?"
Then he turned toward Krillin.
"Since you're here too..."
"Want to join us?"
Vegeta glanced at Krillin and snorted.
"Hmph."
"The bald guy's here too."
"Good."
"Today I'll show both of you my newest technique!"
Krillin set down the pig trotter and stood up.
"A fight's fine."
"But maybe not here."
He pointed toward the kitchen.
Chi-Chi was standing there holding a frying pan.
The murderous aura around her was impossible to ignore.
Vegeta visibly stiffened.
Apparently, even he carried trauma from that frying pan.
"...Then we'll fight somewhere else."
Krillin laughed.
He placed a hand on Goku's shoulder and another on Gohan's.
Then he waved toward Vegeta.
"Come on."
"Hop aboard."
"I'll take you somewhere interesting."
"And while we're there..."
"I'll introduce you to a new friend."
"A new friend?"
Both Goku and Vegeta froze.
On Earth, was there really a powerful fighter they hadn't met?
"You'll see when we get there."
Krillin grinned mysteriously.
"Hold on tight."
Whoosh!
The four figures vanished instantly.
--------------------------------
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