Conton City.
As Turles arrived with the group, everyone looked around at their new surroundings with curiosity.
"So this is Conton City? It doesn't look that different, but I can sense some pretty powerful Ki over there..."
Sensing Turles's arrival, Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, appeared before them in an instant.
"Wait, you actually came back to Conton City? That's rare. Hold on—is that Goku and Vegeta?? And... who on earth is this?"
Chronoa blinked in surprise, then immediately began circling Xicor, inspecting him.
He was a new face. She had seen countless versions of Son Goku and Vegeta, but this was her first time meeting Xicor.
Turles's lips curled into a smirk. "What do you think? My new recruits for the Time Patrol. How do they compare to your squad?"
"Recruits for the Time Patrol?"
Chronoa gave them a thorough once-over. A moment later, her expression shifted drastically. She pointed a finger at Son Goku and blurted out, "Holy crap! Where did you find such a freakish Son Goku? How have I never run into a version like this before?!"
With her divine insight, she saw right through him. A Son Goku who could step into the Angel Level at any moment? What kind of monster was he?
Even the strongest Son Goku under her command was barely at the 8th Level of the God Realm, despite having been a Time Patroller for ages. He couldn't compare to this one at all.
She then looked over at Vegeta and Gohan. Aside from Xicor being a bit of a surprise, the others were within her expectations. She let out a small sigh of relief. It seemed only Son Goku was an anomaly. She could handle that.
Vegeta, noticing her reaction, gritted his teeth. Is she looking down on me? What's with that 'sigh of relief'?!
Turles laughed triumphantly. "Well? Aside from Vegito, I doubt there's anyone in Conton City who can match this Kakarot, right?"
Chronoa huffed playfully. "Hmph, fine, you win. But he really is something else. I've never seen a Son Goku this abnormal."
Goku scratched his head, looking a bit awkward. Calling me a freak right to my face... is that really okay? Still, from their conversation, he gathered that this little girl was indeed the Supreme Kai of Time, given her resemblance to the other Kais he knew.
"Fine, I'll get them registered in the system," Chronoa said. "I can't believe you're actually doing your job for once..."
Veins popped on Turles's forehead. Are you taking shots at me? Just because he hadn't done much since becoming the God of Destruction of Time? She was the one who told him he didn't have to handle everything himself!
Wasn't he doing better than Beerus? At least he was recruiting people. That guy did nothing but sleep. Why didn't she go nag him instead?
Seeing Turles's darkening expression, Chronoa shrunk back slightly. "Uh, right! I'll go get them settled in. You go ahead and do... whatever it is you do!"
With that, she grabbed Goku and the others and vanished on the spot.
She knew she was no match for Turles. If he decided to lose his temper and give her a beating, she'd be in trouble. Better to run while she could.
Turles stared at the spot where they had been, then shook his head. Now that Chronoa had taken over, it was time for him to head home. He hadn't seen Bulma and the others in a while, and he was starting to miss them.
He vanished.
When he reappeared, he was back on Earth. Taking in the familiar scenery, he sighed contentedly. "Nothing beats home."
Suddenly, a thunderous "Lion's Roar" echoed through the compound.
"BULLA!!!"
Turles's mouth twitched. Great. Bulla's in trouble again.
"Buu, run!! The tigress is on the warpath!"
Bulla's shout was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Bulma's fury reached a boiling point instantly. "Bulla! You dare call your mother a tigress?! Bulma, catch them!"
Bulla's face went pale. "Oh no! I forgot about Mama Bulma..."
Sure enough, the second Bulma appeared right in front of Bulla and Buu, snatching Bulla by the scruff of her neck.
"Hehe, hello there, sweetie. Why don't you tell Mama Bulma what you've done this time?"
As for Majin Buu? The moment the second Bulma appeared, he squatted down and covered his head like an ostrich, as if he could disappear if he just didn't look at her.
Bulla felt like her world was ending. Then, she spotted Turles walking in. She cried out piteously, "Daddy, save me!"
Sensing the "murderous" intent in Bulma's glare, Turles acted as if he were suddenly deaf. He walked straight past his daughter toward Lazuli. "My, my, wife, you've become even more beautiful..."
Bulla felt her last hope vanish. Her life was like walking on thin ice, and the ice had just shattered. Would she even survive the day?
Bulma huffed and turned her attention back to the girl.
Taking Bulla from the other Bulma, she delivered a sharp smack to her backside. Bulla instantly turned into a "Great Windmill," spinning around in Bulma's grasp as the lecture began.
Turles shook his head. It looked like Bulla had truly pushed Bulma too far this time. Judging by the force of that smack, Bulla would be sleeping on her stomach tonight.
After all, this Bulma was no longer a helpless woman. With Turles's help, her power level was actually quite high.
Bulma (the one not currently spinning a child) looked on curiously. "Bulma, what did she do to make you this angry?"
Smack! Bulla was sent into another spin. This was definitely "tough love."
"What did she do? She sneaked into the Time Machine! If I hadn't caught her in time, who knows where she would have ended up!"
"What?!"
The atmosphere changed instantly. Turles, the other Bulma, and Lazuli all turned serious. There were countless timelines out there; if Bulla got lost, finding her would be a nightmare. Worse, if she landed in a dangerous era, she might not survive. Her strength wasn't that high yet, and even with Buu by her side—who hadn't awakened the Grand Supreme Kai's power—they would be in trouble.
Dangerous glints appeared in everyone's eyes as they looked at Bulla. For the first time, the girl realized the gravity of her mistake.
Turles sighed deeply. "It seems I've been too lenient with your discipline if you think you can pull a stunt like that. From now on, things are going to change."
At Turles's words, Bulla burst into tears. "Waaaaah! I'm sorry! I didn't know it was that dangerous! I'll never do it again, I promise!"