(A/N: Big shoutout to our new Patreon, Elijah Hibbert! Here's a bonus chapter, at this rate, I'll need a stockpile for my stockpile just to keep up!)
In the peaceful backyard of Capsule Corp, Karnel sat cross-legged beside the ornamental lake, his eyes closed in deep meditation. Dozens of colorful koi fish swam lazily through the crystal-clear water, creating gentle ripples that caught the afternoon sunlight. His hair had taken on an unusual appearance, half golden like a Super Saiyan, half crimson like divine fire, while the ancient earrings glinted softly at his ears.
For weeks now, he'd spent every free moment in this tranquil spot, working to master the volatile energies coursing through his being. The savage Saiyan instincts that had always lurked beneath his surface were gradually being tempered by something greater, a divine nature that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself, opening his eyes to study his reflection in the lake's surface. "I've managed to suppress most of the bloodlust, and this divine energy keeps expanding. But something's different about my transformation state..."
He touched his uniquely colored hair thoughtfully. "According to what I know, Goku achieved Super Saiyan God through the ritual, five righteous Saiyans channeling their light into him. But I'm walking this path alone, developing it naturally. Maybe that's why it manifests differently?"
The questions swirled in his mind, but he pushed them aside with a shake of his head. "No point overthinking it. The answers will come when I fully develop this divine heart."
Standing up and stretching, Karnel's expression brightened as he remembered something else entirely. He walked over to a nearby table where a thick stack of papers sat waiting, the final pages of a project he'd been working on for months.
"Finally finished!" he announced to no one in particular, carefully organizing the manuscript pages. After placing them in a prepared document folder, he headed out toward West City's bustling downtown district.
The publishing house was exactly as he remembered, busy, cluttered, and filled with the excited chatter of creative minds at work. When he submitted his manuscript, the staff's enthusiastic praise followed him all the way to the exit.
"Who would have thought I'd become an author," Karnel chuckled as he wandered through the crowded food district. The aromatic scents from dozens of restaurants made his mouth water. "Earth really does have the best cuisine in the universe. No wonder Beerus and Whis are always dropping by for meals."
He loaded up on an impressive variety of snacks and treats, remembering how much Bulma enjoyed trying new foods. The Divine fruits from his dimensional storage were nutritious and even granted power, but they couldn't compare to the sheer variety and flavor of Earth's culinary arts.
"Bulma, I'm back!" he called out as he entered her bedroom, arms full of food bags.
She was exactly where he'd expected to find her, curled up in her chair with another dense physics textbook, completely absorbed in equations and theoretical diagrams.
Karnel sighed and set the food down on her desk. "You know, spending all day cooped up in here with these books isn't healthy. When's the last time you went outside and got some fresh air?"
He picked up one of her textbooks and squinted at the complex formulas. The mathematical concepts might as well have been written in an alien language, which, ironically, he could probably understand better than quantum mechanics.
"Sorry, sorry!" Bulma giggled, finally looking up from her studies. "Ooh, you brought more delicious treats! You're going to spoil me rotten."
"That's the plan," Karnel said, gently stroking her hair. "But seriously, you're turning into a complete hermit. Why don't you take a break from the time machine research? If you're really that bored, I've got something else that might interest you, some alien technology you could analyze instead."
Bulma's eyes immediately lit up with curiosity. "Alien technology? What kind of machine? Show me, show me!"
"Food first," Karnel said firmly, settling into his chair and pulling her onto his lap. "You haven't eaten anything substantial all day, have you?"
Rather than argue, Bulma quickly devoured the various snacks he'd brought, her enthusiasm for the food almost matching her excitement about the mysterious alien device.
"There, all done!" she announced, bouncing slightly in his lap. "Now can we go see this machine? Please?"
Karnel wiped a few crumbs from the corner of her mouth with an indulgent smile. "Alright, alright. I can never say no to you anyway."
Hand in hand, they made their way out to the backyard where Karnel retrieved a small capsule from his storage space.
"Here we go," he said, tossing the capsule into an open area. "Hope you find it interesting."
BOOM!
In a puff of smoke, a sleek four-meter-long machine materialized, its curved surfaces and organic-looking design clearly marking it as non-Earth technology. Multiple transparent chambers and complex control interfaces gave it an unmistakably scientific purpose.
Karnel found himself staring at the device with mixed emotions. "It's been so long since I got this from Noffey and Noen. I wonder how those two are doing... they were my first real students, you know. I should probably check on them sometime soon."
"Karnel, this is incredible!" Bulma was already circling the machine, her engineer's eye taking in every detail. "These cultivation chambers... it's designed to grow biological specimens, isn't it? But the individual compartments are so small, is it meant for creating tiny creatures?"
"You really are a genius," Karnel said admiringly. "That's exactly right. It's a cloning machine; the most advanced biotechnology from a planet called Durastar."
"Cloning?" Bulma's eyes went wide. "What kind of planet develops technology like this?"
"A rather unique one," Karnel explained, his voice taking on a nostalgic tone. "Durastar is inhabited entirely by anthropomorphic rabbits, they walk upright, have their own civilization, everything. Despite their appearance, they're remarkably intelligent. That's actually where I met Noffey and Noen, the two students I mentioned."
He paused, lost in memories. "I should take you there sometime. It would be good for you to see other worlds, experience different cultures. Better than spending all your time buried in textbooks, anyway."
Bulma was practically vibrating with excitement, already running her hands along the machine's smooth surfaces. "A planet of intelligent rabbits with advanced cloning technology? That sounds amazing! When can we go?"