Chapter 7
In the months that followed, Yamucha and the others trained hard in preparation for the arrival of the Saiyans, while Bulma and her group searched for the dragonballs. During their expeditions Bulma had found little time to train, much less perfect her teleport technique. She had decided beforehand that she would wait until later to tell Roshi about her training with Yamucha. They were too busy for any distractions, and Bulma wanted to make sure that they had found all of the remaining balls early so that she might have a little more time to train.
On the day that they found the last dragonball, they had three months left. Bulma knew she still had enough time to perfect her technique, but she couldn't perfect much else. She decided to master it anyway, though, and since they couldn't even call the dragon for a few months, she wanted to make good use of her time.
"I'll see you in a couple of months," she said, gathering her things. Roshi shook his head in disgust.
"I can't believe you think there could be something more important than staying with us. What's the big rush for, anyway?"
Bulma groaned. "Look Roshi," she said, clicking her suitcase shut. "I've already told you that I'm not going to tell anyone anything until after the fight with the Saiyans. I'll be back by the time they get here, so don't worry."
"Well, what am I supposed to do while you're gone? It's going to be really boring around here, you know."
"Oh, for Kami's sake Roshi! You're a hermit, remember? You'll manage! Anyway, you'll have Oolong and Puar here. Now, just take it easy for a while. I'm leaving and that's all there is to it. Goodbye guys!" she said and ran out to her car. Muten Roshi and Puar watched her zoom away.
"She sure seemed eager to ditch us," Roshi muttered bitterly to Puar.
"Well, she must have had good reason," Puar replied. "After all, for all we know, the world could end in a few months. There are bound to be a few loose ends she needs to tie, or maybe she just wants to spend some time with her family. Don't take it so personally, Roshi."
"I suppose you're right," he sighed. They turned and went back in the Kame house.
Bulma got out of the air cruiser and did some warm-up stretches. It felt wonderful to be in her training gi again. She had gone home to change into it and to drop some things off, while she picked some other things up, namely enough food, water, and clothing to last for a few months. She was totally secluded out here in the desert, so she was completely comfortable in starting her training again.
She began by firing off a series of fast punches and kicks, increasing her intensity and frequency gradually, so that she could accustom herself to using her ki again. Surprisingly, she wasn't all that rusty. Despite the fact that she hadn't done this in almost a year, she was still nearly as fast as she used to be. When she had finished limbering up with the punches and kicks, she switched over to energy blasts. She demolished all of the boulders around her within a few seconds, surprising herself in the process.
"Wow!" she said to herself. "I haven't even lost any of my speed! I guess it's time to take the bull by the horns. Let's see how much energy I can gather at one time and try to blast open that mountain over there."
Slowly and carefully she summoned all the energy she could muster. She focused on her target, but all of the sudden she had another thought. It would be a shame to waste all this energy on a stupid rock. She was going to try something drastic!
Carefully she let the energy envelop her entire body. Focusing on a spot far off in the distance, she gritted her teeth and decided to give it her best shot. She had done this with small nonliving objects before through exactly the same process, but she wasn't sure what effects it would have on her. She hadn't even gathered this much energy together at once before! Oh well. There was only one way to find out what would happen.
"Rapid teleport!" she yelled. For a brief instant she felt a burning sensation in her brain. She closed her eyes and tried to scream, but no sound came out. Suddenly her center of balance was gone. She fell to the ground and just stayed there, panting and trying to stop the ringing in her ears. The ringing soon subsided, and she managed to stumble to her feet. When she opened her eyes she cried out in shock. She had done it! She had teleported herself nearly a half-mile from her previous position, and on the very spot she had aimed for! Bulma could see her air car off in the distance. Her growling stomach prompted her to fly back and get some food.
Bulma realized as she munched on a granola bar that if teleporting took this much energy, she was going to have to train hard. She was definitely going to have to improve her energy pulling time, as well as her control during the teleport. It may not be wise to continue to keep her eyes closed during such a strange new technique.
So for the next two months Bulma worked fiercely to increase her ki and improve her teleportation. For the first couple of days she could only teleport a few times, but gradually her strength increased, and eventually she was able to teleport about as often as she wanted to.
Then she concentrated on her control. She had found that if she kept her eyes open, she could see the landscape roll by alongside her. The strange thing was that when she teleported, her eyesight - and all of her other senses, for that matter - were somehow enhanced, so that it actually seemed as if she was traveling at normal speed. The only difference, besides having her energy drain much faster, was that she saw everything as though she were looking through a blue filter. She didn't know how to explain that, but she didn't really mind it too much. Another interesting thing that she discovered was that no time lapsed during a teleport. Bulma definitely didn't know how to explain that. Somehow she was able to create her own little time loop as she traveled.
Finally the day came when she decided to take a big chance. So far, the most she had teleported had been to the next continent over. She had still had a lot of energy left over after that. Bulma wanted to see just how far she could teleport before she ran out of energy. She had only a week to go before the Saiyans landed, and she thought it might be useful to know her limitations. After a hearty breakfast and a rigorous warm-up, Bulma felt prepared for her strenuous test.
"Rapid teleport!" she shouted. Immediately she began racing past rock formations and other various desert structures. Soon after, she whipped past cities, forests, and even oceans! She could feel the strain of her efforts by now, but she wasn't quite winded yet. She raced past long stretches of ice and water, then passed over more dry land. She strained to go just a few hundred miles more. She knew she was almost spent. She didn't even know where she was anymore, as the earth below her was nothing but a blur. Finally, she forced herself to stop. She floated shakily to the ground below. Nearly passing out with fatigue, she braced her body on wobbly legs and glanced at her surroundings. Panting, she gaped at the landscape around her in amazement. Not only was she back in the very same desert, but she had landed within sight of her air car! She gasped as the realization of what she had accomplished hit her. She had teleported completely around the world!
Too weak to fly, she walked over to her car for a bite to eat. She finished off the remains of her breakfast and threw herself into her pup tent for a nap. She was so sleepy! Smiling happily, she drifted off to dreamless sleep, after having awakened only an hour ago that morning.
When Bulma awoke it was late afternoon. She packed all her stuff up and loaded it in her car. She was finally satisfied. She had greatly increased her ki, and she couldn't have been happier with the results she had achieved with her teleport technique. Sighing in contentment, she started the engine and drove away. It was time for rest and recuperation.
In the days that followed, Bulma spent some long-overdue time with her parents. Both of them sensed a change in Bulma but neither said anything about it. They both blamed it on the absence of Yamucha. Perhaps their daughter had grown up a little since the termination of her relationship with the fighter.
At dinner on the day before she was to leave for Roshi's, Bulma came very close to telling her parents everything. They didn't even know that there were more Saiyans coming! But in the end she decided that it was better for them not to know. She didn't want them to worry, and besides, there was nothing either of them could do to prevent their arrival anyway.
The next day, with only a month remaining, and after a heartfelt goodbye, Bulma left in her air car for Muten Roshi's island. She had packed very little. All she had brought with her was some extra clothes and the brand-new gi she had made a few days earlier. While making it she had also made a final decision. She was going to help fight the Saiyans, if she was needed. She didn't know how well the others would do against them, but she knew that her lack of experience was her biggest failing point. She didn't want to rush right into battle if it wasn't necessary, otherwise she might do more harm than good. She did feel that she was ready, however, so, if the occasion arose, she wasn't going to hesitate.
It was noon when her cruiser arrived on the sands of Muten Roshi's island. Everyone seemed relatively calm to her, considering the circumstances. After she put her bag away, Bulma asked Oolong what everyone had been doing to keep busy.
"Not much," he replied, yawning. "We've gotten enough supplies to wait out World War III, and each of us has done whatever he can think of to prepare to take cover, but other than that all we've done is play checkers and watch TV. Puar seems pretty lonely though. She's also really worried about Yamucha. She thinks he may get too cocky in battle and get himself killed.
Bulma sighed. Puar certainly knew Yamucha well. But he could take care of himself, no doubt. He ought to know not to mess around this time.
"Hey, where's Muten Roshi?" Bulma said suddenly. "He was here a minute ago."
"He's in the bathroom!" Puar exclaimed, darting into the room. "And I think he's lost it! You have to come hear this! He thinks he's talking to Goku while he's sitting on the toilet!"
They raced towards the bathroom and when they got there Roshi ran out, yanking his pants up with a wild look on his face.
"Come on guys!" He said excitedly. "Goku wants us to wish him back to life now! The Saiyans will be here tomorrow!" He grabbed the dragonballs and ran out the front door. Bulma followed him, with Oolong and Puar right behind her.
Bulma gasped. They were going to be a whole month early! She hoped that Goku could defeat those monsters. If he couldn't, then the earth probably didn't even stand a chance.
On to the next Chapter!
