"Finished. This is the radar you wanted." Stylishly dressed, Bulma handed Meruem a compact prototype device. Press the switch on top to use it. It was a precision instrument capable of detecting Dragon Balls.
"But the spaceship you asked for will take a bit longer. Dad hasn't finished it yet." Dr. Brief really had a good heart. He not only agreed at once to Meruem's request to refit a ship, but even let Meruem move into their home.
Strictly speaking, the last part was at Bulma's insistence. Of course, Meruem slept alone—don't get the wrong idea. Bulma might be boy-crazy, but she wasn't an idiot.
She wouldn't hand herself over to some man casually, no matter how handsome he was.
Of course, if her boy-crazy spell kicked in, there was still a chance she'd get tricked and taken advantage of. After all, no matter how smart she was, Bulma was still just a young girl.
"Hey, hey, how about taking me along to find the Dragon Balls? Don't be fooled by me being a delicate girl—I used to hunt Dragon Balls with Goku and the others." She hooked an arm through Meruem's, pressed her whole body against him, and rubbed back and forth.
"…All right." He did owe Bulma's family a favor, and refusing would be a bit too cold. Besides, it wasn't a big deal. With Meruem's power, keeping Bulma safe wasn't a problem.
"Yay—yay—going to find Dragon Balls with a hottie! Maybe I can, hehe… As for Yamcha, he can go to hell." In her heart, Bulma struck a victory pose.
Seeing her expression, Meruem had a good idea what she was thinking. He felt helpless. He'd made it quite clear he had a girlfriend, but she still wouldn't let up. Was his charm really that great? Meruem, a little narcissistic, touched his cheek.
"Then, to save time, let's head out now. Give me your hand." If Dr. Brief needed a few more days to finish refitting the ship, they might as well try to gather the Dragon Balls before then.
He really wanted to know whether the legendary Dragon Balls could make him stronger. An immortal body… did that really exist? It seemed the Dragon Balls couldn't grant wishes beyond the creator's power. Yet they could revive the dead—and not just one person. Truly, contradictions abounded in the Dragon Ball world.
"Huh? Now? My flyer isn't ready yet." Though puzzled, Bulma still held out her hand.
But Meruem scooped her up and pulled her into his arms.
"Th-this… we've only just met. Isn't this a bit improper? Not great…" Bulma lowered her head shyly, but inside she was burning with excitement. Looks like the charm of the lovely Bulma hadn't faded.
Hotties really do like me.
"Taking off." Meruem lifted from the ground and hovered, startling a scream out of Bulma—she'd never flown like this. She clung tightly to him.
"Hold on. We're going." Feeling the softness of the girl's body, Meruem couldn't help letting his thoughts wander.
In this life, it seemed he was still a virgin. He'd always been rushing for survival and power. Though he had Reiko and Pitou, they were still too young, and he hadn't done anything indecent—at most some hugs and kisses. Strictly speaking, both were adorable, but their bodies hadn't filled out.
They certainly didn't have Bulma's figure. Feeling her lush curves, Meruem inevitably had a few thoughts.
Bulma's figure was quite something. Reiko's was promising, but she was still young.
In the next instant, he smothered the spark of desire. This wasn't the time.
The Dragon Balls were his main objective. Because he was carrying Bulma, Meruem didn't push to full speed. Even wrapped in ki, she might not have withstood it.
Even so, with a battle power in the single digits, Bulma was unsteady at first. Only after Meruem spread some of his Nen to cover her did things improve.
"So great o(≧v≦)o—so great—such close contact. Could it be he likes me? Aiya, how embarrassing (ノω<.)ノ))☆. If he confesses, what should I do? Hmm… maybe I'll reluctantly agree." Pressed to Meruem's chest, Bulma drifted into her own fantasies.
"Found the first Dragon Ball." Meruem paid no mind to Bulma's inner world, keeping his eyes on the Dragon Radar the whole time.
They'd reached the nearest Dragon Ball. A bright yellow glass sphere lay in a giant monstrosity's nest, three little red stars set within.
Three-Star Ball, GET~!
"Next." Watching Bulma cradle the Three-Star Ball, a faint smile tugged at Meruem's lips. In at most a few days, they'd have them all.
Of course, without the deadweight Bulma, Meruem could have finished today. Or he could have sent the Chimera Ant army and been done even sooner. But having a beauty along—one of the Dragon Ball world's top beauties—was a pleasant thing.
Though not as pure as in her teens, the twenty-something Bulma was more mature and still quite appealing to Meruem.
In a sense, compared to his clone Musashi, Meruem was far behind. Just look at Musashi's consort—a peerless Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae.
In Japanese myth, Tamamo-no-Mae supposedly fled from China's ancient lands—some say she was Su Daji of the Shang dynasty.
But after Musashi asked her himself, that rumor was dispelled. Tamamo-no-Mae is Tamamo-no-Mae, Su Daji is Su Daji—completely different beings—er, yokai.
That explosive figure, those two massive… ahem, enough of that.
Meruem and Bulma's Dragon Ball hunt lacked the thrills of her earlier adventures with little Goku. Ultimately, Meruem was simply too strong.
Monsters or powerful humans alike were just fodder to him. On the Dragon Ball Earth, most people's battle power really was five—the "dregs" title wasn't an exaggeration.
After picking up the last Four-Star Ball from Chi-Chi at Goku's home on Mount Paozu, Meruem and Bulma's hunt came to a close.
"Hey, hey, Meruem, what wish are you going to ask Shenron for?" After placing the seven Dragon Balls on the ground, Bulma asked curiously.
She had insisted on tagging along, but hadn't asked this yet. Her boy-crazy spells meant she'd focused on Meruem himself.
"Before wishing, I want to ask the Dragon a few questions. The wish itself isn't that meaningful." Meruem said something Bulma didn't understand at all.
"Come forth, Shenron!" The Dragon appeared—heaven and earth shifted, and the planet plunged inexplicably from day into night.
"Someone is summoning Shenron." That was the first thought Kami and the others had at the Lookout when they saw the change.
"Let's hope he doesn't make some bizarre wish." Kami stood at the edge, watching in Meruem's direction.
He'd known Meruem was collecting the Dragon Balls, but he had no way to stop him. After spending a few days together, Kami felt Meruem wasn't heinous, but the evil nature of his ki still showed he wasn't a virtuous man.
"Who summoned me…" A gigantic green dragon pierced the clouds, appearing before Meruem and Bulma.
"State your wish." Shenron's glowing red eyes fixed on Meruem.
"So you're Shenron? Truly impressive. But can you really grant any wish?" Meruem asked.
"Of course. Quickly—state your wish," said Shenron.
"Before I wish, I want you to answer a few questions." Meruem.
"Speak." Shenron looked at Meruem in silence for a while before answering slowly. He wouldn't have humored another, but he wasn't a fool—he could tell Meruem had the power to destroy him, so he agreed.
"If I wish for immortality, can I truly become immortal? What effects would immortality have on me?" The Dragon Balls were indeed miraculous, said to grant any wish—even bringing back the dead.
But there was a limit—the wish couldn't exceed the creator's capacity. So here's the problem: if even the creator can't achieve immortality or possess an undying body, can such a wish really be granted?
Even the Namekian Dragon—the Dragon Balls' source—couldn't change Namek's climate, much less Earth's far weaker Shenron.
The immortality wish has only truly been made in a certain movie.
And even then… it seemed more like massively boosted regeneration, still inferior to Cell's or the Majins' healing.
(End of Chapter)
[Unlock +20 Advanced Chapters on Patreon.com/Mutter]
[For every 100 Power Stones, 1 Bonus Chapter will be released]
[Thank you for reading!]