Earth.
It took Son Gohan less than an hour to gather all seven Dragon Balls.
"Bulma probably just wants to be a bit younger. That still leaves two wishes… can't waste those," Gohan thought, and immediately thought of Piccolo and Broly.
He headed to Kami's Lookout first and found Dende, explaining his idea of boosting Piccolo's strength. As soon as Dende heard it, he upgraded Shenron without hesitation.
"That's it?" Gohan stared at Dende, expression a little odd.
"Yeah. It's done," Dende replied.
Just like in the original timeline, Dende took out a bottle of liquid and poured it over the dragon statue. With that, Shenron's power was enhanced.
"…All right then."
Moving fast, Gohan used Instant Transmission to bring Broly and Piccolo over to Capsule Corp where Bulma was.
"Who is he?" Piccolo asked, eyes narrowing as he looked at Broly.
He could feel a terrifying power coiled up inside this man.
"He's a Saiyan too. His talent is insane… but he has some issues. I'm hoping the Dragon Balls can help him," Gohan explained.
"Heh. Son Gohan, you're trying to rebuild the Saiyan race now?" Piccolo snorted.
"Not really. I just want to gather this universe's heavy hitters under one banner for the future crisis," Gohan replied, brows knitting slightly.
Ever since he'd returned from the Dragon God Realm, Gohan had been troubled.
The Dragon God's words echoed in his mind without end.
That unknown crisis was a warning bell, pushing him to strengthen his side by any means necessary.
"Come out, Shenron! Grant my wishes!" Gohan shouted at the seven Dragon Balls on the ground.
He'd already told Piccolo about using a wish to boost his strength, but because Piccolo hadn't finished compressing his Giant Form training, he hadn't gone to summon Shenron himself.
Gohan hated wasting anything, so he'd dragged Piccolo along anyway.
Vmmm
The Dragon Balls erupted in golden light. Shenron appeared.
"State your … ah, Lord Piccolo," Shenron stopped mid-phrase when he saw Piccolo and actually bowed his head in greeting.
"Bulma, you don't mind if we go first, right?" Gohan asked.
"Hmph. Fine," Bulma snorted.
After all, she didn't want to reveal her wish in front of everyone anyway.
"Shenron, you have the same kind of potential-unlocking ability as the Grand Elder, right?" Gohan asked.
"Yes. Lord Dende has upgraded my power I can do it," Shenron replied.
"Good. Then fully unlock Piccolo's potential. That's my first wish," Gohan said.
"That is simple."
Shenron's blood-red eyes flared.
Piccolo immediately felt power surging from the depths of his body, overflowing so intensely that his white cape flapped wildly in the pressure.
"So strong…" Piccolo's face lit up with rare delight.
Even his skin tone began to shift less pure green than before, with a faint orange tint appearing.
"Your wish has been granted. And there is an additional bonus," Shenron added.
"Bonus? What bonus? I don't feel anything," Piccolo asked, puzzled.
"It'll only trigger in a real crisis… that about right, Shenron?" Gohan cut in.
"Correct. He's right," Shenron replied, giving Gohan a strange look.
"Then whatever. I still haven't finished my Giant Form compression training, so I'm not in a hurry," Piccolo said, not bothering to chase the issue.
"Son Gohan, state your second wish," Shenron said.
"Shenron, maximize Broly's mental strength. I want him to be able to transform without losing his mind," Gohan said, pointing at Broly.
"This…" Shenron glanced at Broly, his tone turning hesitant.
"What's the problem?" Gohan's eyes narrowed.
"I can enhance his mind, but I cannot guarantee he'll never lose control again.
"To strengthen his mental power is to strengthen his soul. Every lifeform's soul has a limit,
"but the wild power inside him has no such limit. If he's pushed hard enough, he may still lose his sanity," Shenron explained.
"Then is there a better way?" Gohan pressed.
"No. In Saiyans with this kind of bloodline, the raw savagery in their bodies is far too strong.
"All I can do is reinforce his spirit.
"Maybe the Dragon Balls personally created by the Dragon God could erase this flaw perfectly," Shenron said.
"Fine. Do what you can. I'll figure out the rest later," Gohan said with a helpless sigh.
Red light flashed in Shenron's eyes as he pushed Broly's mental strength up to its current limit.
"It is done. Before he reaches the Fifth Stage of the Great God Realm, he will not have any problems," Shenron said, slightly out of breath.
It was their first time seeing Shenron struggle like that.
"The Fifth Stage of the Great God Realm, huh… Shenron, you're being pretty conservative," Gohan exhaled in relief.
The Fifth Stage of the Great God Realm that was mid-tier God of Destruction level.
"All right, all right, you guys can clear out now. It's my turn," Bulma said, shooing them away.
Gohan's eyes flashed. "Got it. We're going."
He grabbed Piccolo and Broly, and the three of them vanished.
Bulma looked around, making sure no one else was there. Then she finally turned back to Shenron.
She had no idea that after dropping Broly and Piccolo off, Gohan had immediately teleported back, now floating high above, eavesdropping on her wish.
"Shenron… is there a way to slow my aging so I can grow old together with Son Gohan?" Bulma asked softly.
Hidden in the sky, Gohan's body trembled.
He'd thought Bulma would wish to be a little younger, maybe tighten her butt, or perk up her chest a bit.
He never expected her to make a wish like this.
"Tch. It's not like we're actually related by blood," Gohan muttered to himself, trying to comfort his conscience, that last barrier of "seniority" in his mind slowly melting away.
"I can extend your lifespan and slow your body's aging, so that your growth rate matches Son Gohan's current one," Shenron said. He was there to grant wishes, not gossip.
"Good, good. Do it!" Bulma said, overjoyed.
"Your wish has been granted. Farewell."
Shenron shot into the sky and disappeared, and the heavens cleared again.
"Son Gohan… this lady has decided I'm going to make you mine," Bulma murmured, Gohan's face flickering through her mind.
When it came to daring to love and hate, Bulma truly stood apart. She didn't care about society's opinions at all.
Otherwise, in the original timeline, she never would have ended up with Vegeta without even holding a wedding.
When a man chases a woman, there's a mountain between them.
When a woman chases a man, it's just a thin layer of gauze.
Gohan could only shake his head helplessly and vanished with Instant Transmission.
Bulma wasn't just anyone she was the goddess who spanned the entire Dragon Ball world.
Her wealth was top-tier, too. Gohan was a transmigrator; how could he not be drawn to her?
On top of that, Bulma had helped him a lot, and he'd personally wrecked her destined relationship with Vegeta.
But he still hadn't figured out how to handle his feelings.
Because there was also Videl.
The childhood sweetheart who'd grown up with him there was no way he could just abandon her.
Youthful, bright, beautiful Videl had long since taken up residence in his heart.
Wanting the one in your bowl while eyeing the one in the pot… that was standard for men.
The only difference was in ability: some could only look, and some could actually have both.
"Anyway, I'm only fifteen. I've still got three years before I'm an adult. I'll decide then," Gohan muttered.
If you can't solve it yet… then just run away from it for now.