Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2178: Machinations and Subtlety

"Hello there. My name is Sarina. It's nice to meet you."

Amused by the pouty look on Bulma's face, a mischievous smile developed across Sarina's during her introduction. Her stay in the Game Board put her around the same age as Bulma, so, while she dared not compare herself to mature beauties such as Da Vinci and Artoria, she felt pretty confident in front of girls her own age.

Seeing Sarina fold her arms under her rather sizeable breasts, a tick mark appeared on Bulma's exposed forehead as she asked, "Sarina, huh? What's your relationship with...um...?"

Having yet to hear Vahn's introduction, a faint blush spread through Bulma's cheeks as she looked toward him and asked, "What was your name again? I don't recall you introducing yourself."

Returning a carefree smile, Vahn placed his hand over his chest, answering, "My name is Vahn. Vahn Aldrnari Mason. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Briefs."

Seemingly forgetting about the existence of Sarina, Bulma cupped her cheeks in a bashful manner as she said, "Oh, wow. Ms. Briefs, huh? I don't think anyone has ever called me that before. You're so polite, Vahn."

Maintaining a casual smile, Vahn decided to guide things forward a bit, asking, "What brings you to the mountains, Ms. Briefs? I don't mean this as an insult but you don't exactly strike me as the type of woman to venture outside the city limits..."

Though there was quite a bit of equipment in her car, Bulma's outfit consisted of little more than a short purple dress, a dark purple scarf, and an oversized red ribbon typing up her hair. She also had a turquoise pouch attached to a leather belt around her waist, but, while the former might contain a number of useful capsules, she was pretty much helpless the moment she lost them.

Had she heard the same thing a few minutes ago, Bulma would have turned her nose up at Vahn's words. She was confident in her aim, and, so long as she didn't encounter any dinosaurs, her guns were enough to deal with most threats.

Now that she knew there were bulletproof children capable of sending cars flying with a kick, Bulma realized she still had a lot to learn. Fortunately, she was the undisputed most intelligent girl on the entire planet, so, when it came to learning and applying knowledge, there were none more qualified than her.

"You're not wrong. Though I traveled around with my parents when I was younger, this is my first time leaving West City on my own. I guess I should have done a bit more research before heading out. As for why I'm here...well...it's complicated..."

As much as she could appreciate Vahn's appearance, Bulma wasn't too sure about his character. If he knew she was on a quest to assemble magical, wish-granting balls, there was a good chance he would either laugh at or rob her. There had been no less than sixteen attempts to kidnap her ever since her father developed the prototype for Capsules.

"Since we're on the subject, what are the three of you doing here on Mount Paozu? There have been reports of Giant Apes wreaking havoc in the region. Even the local dinosaur population has been chased off."

Now that she was thinking about it, meeting Vahn, Sarina, and Goku just as she was setting out on her journey was pretty suspicious. They didn't strike her as criminals or kidnappers, but, when your father was the richest person in the world, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Realizing the purpose of Bulma's words, the corners of Vahn's smile curled upward as he said, "I'm escorting my apprentice on a training journey. She may look like a normal, albeit attractive young woman at a glance but Sarina is a remarkably powerful young lady..."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Vahn gently ruffled Sarina's silky smooth, remarkably glossy hair. They had discussed their cover story prior to descending into the world, so, while they were also lovers, the purpose of their journey was as described. He would be accompanying her around the world and helping her train, as, even if there were Masters of Ki in this world, they would need to be on the level of Whis to even have a hope of contending against him.

"Apprentice? Are you trying to tell me this girl is a martial artist...?"

Acknowledging Sarina for the first time since her introduction, Bulma's brows furrowed as her sapphire eyes scanned her 'competition' from head to toe. At a glance, Sarina's figure wasn't much better than hers, so, unless she was hiding some kind of secret, Bulma found it hard to believe the former was a martial artist.

Fortunately, Bulma would quickly learn the truth as Goku, surprised and excited by the revelation, adopted an enthusiastic smile as he exclaimed, "Wow! I knew you were strong! Let's fight...!"

Without waiting for a response, Goku immediately launched himself toward Vahn like a bullet. He was only around 98cm tall, remarkably short for a twelve-year-old, but he was able to easily vault through the air in an attempt to kick at the former's face. Before the blow could land, however, his foot was intercepted by Sarina, who, faster than Bulma could see, flickered in front of Vahn's body.

With a smile not all that dissimilar from Goku's, Sarina sent the youth flipping through the air with a relatively casual wave of her hand. Then, in a manner reminiscent of Tione and Tiona, she launched herself forward while staying low to the ground. The movement caused literal cracks in the ground where she had been standing, so, while Bulma was squealing like a frightened schoolgirl, Goku was sweating bullets as Sarina's foot impacted his crossed arms and sent him crashing through the tree she had been resting under minutes prior.

"Owie! That really hurts...!"

Despite leaving a toddler-size imprint in the tree's trunk, Goku managed to climb to his feet before blowing on his swelling arms. There were a number of microfractures in both arms, but, with a few days of rest, his Saiyan Biology would allow him to make a full recovery. In fact, it would also make him stronger...

Appearing at Goku's side like a phantom, Vahn bent down to ruffle the young man's remarkably bristly hair as he said, "You're also quite powerful. How about becoming my student...?"

Unsurprisingly, Goku didn't even hesitate to swat Vahn's hand away, answering, "No, thank you. My Master was my Grandpa. He told me that true strength is something you could only obtain through self-mastery and protecting the people you care about. I want to see how strong I can get using the methods he taught me."

Since he would actually prefer to train Goku after his apprenticeship with Master Roshi, Vahn didn't mind the young Saiyan's refusal. He hadn't come to the Actualized World of Dragon Ball to train the Z-Fighters and resolve all their problems for them. Would he train them? Most likely. Was he going to go out of his way to train them? There was, simply put, no need. After all, even Grand Zeno, the High Priest, and Dragon God Zalama would be hard-pressed to match him.

"Understood. If you ever change your mind, let me know. I'm quite fond of training exceptional and talented youths. With that tail of yours, I would argue you're both."

Now that Vahn had mentioned it, Goku noticed that neither he nor Bulma and Sarina had tails. This confused the young Saiyan, who, despite being taught by his Grandpa that most people didn't have tails, asked, "Where's your tail, Vahn? Did you tuck it into your pants?"

Chuckling in response to the rather peculiar question, Vahn surprised even Sarina by manifesting a tail and answering, "Good guess."

Beaming the moment he saw Vahn's tail, Goku practically leaped into the air as he shouted, "Wow! You're just like me...!" in an overly excited tone.

Catching the youth before he could return to the ground, Vahn situated the young Goku on his shoulders before teasing, "Who knows, perhaps we're distantly related to one another? I've never met anyone else with a tail like mine. How about you call me Big Brother or Uncle Vahn from now on? I might not be able to teach you but I can still look after you for a bit."

Captivated by the notion he and Vahn might be related to one another, Goku happily leaned over the former's head, exclaiming, "That's great! You and your friend can come and stay at Grandpa's house! It's kind of small but I'm sure you'll like it!"

Poking the center of Goku's head so the youth would stop obstructing his vision, Vahn answered, "I would certainly like to take a look. Before that, however, there is another matter to attend..."

"Huh? What matter...?"

Pointing towards Bulma, Vahn surprised the blunette by saying, "Our friend may have deflected the question our way, but, when you think about her warning, it's pretty obvious she must have come here for a reason. My instincts tell me it may have something to do with you, or, more specifically, something that is hidden away in your Grandpa's house..."

As the dirt path was something that had been created by Goku dragging fish and other spoils through the mountains, there was really only one place Bulma could have been heading. This was something Bulma herself was well aware of, so, after remaining statuesque for several seconds, she ultimately released a sigh before pulling out a circular device that vaguely resembled a large watch with a dark green, digital display screen.

"Fine. You got me, okay? I'm tracking down these large, marble-like spheres known as dragon balls. This radar allows me to track their unique energy signal within a hundred kilometers. I can't say for certain if there's one located at Goku's Grandpa's place but I'd like to check and make sure."

Deciding to play the part of a wisened yet deceptively young-looking old master, a knowing look flashed across Vahn's face as he repeated, "Dragon balls...as in the ancient, wish-granting orbs said to have been produced by the Guardian God of this world..?"

Tensing the moment she heard Vahn's words, Bulma was tempted to try and play it off as some kind of urban legend. Unfortunately, she was literally risking life and limb in their search, so, unless Vahn was a complete idiot, she doubted he would buy such an excuse.

Before Bulma could get her thoughts in order, Vahn surprised her quite a bit by extending his hand and asking, "May I see that radar? If it's as unique as you say, I'd like to take a closer look."

Offering a wry smile, Bulma instinctually slipped the radar into her cleavage before answering, "I'd rather not. This is the only radar I have right now. As much as I'd like to trust you, Vahn, I'd prefer to not spend the rest of my Summer Vacation building a replacement."

Without losing his smile, Vahn held up his hand to inspect the radar he had snitched the moment Bulma attempted to stow it away. The pupils of her sapphirine blue eyes immediately contracted to points, but, before she could even think to protest, he handed it back to her, saying, "It's quite the ingenious design. You said you created it yourself...?"

Though she practically snatched the radar back from him, Bulma quickly calmed down the moment she heard Vahn's words. A lot of people assumed that she simply borrowed her father's inventions, so, hearing someone compliment her work, a somewhat narcissistic smile developed across Bulma's face until Vahn suddenly turned away from her and remarked, "There is, indeed, a dragon ball at my nephew's place. I can also sense two more hidden away in that little pouch of yours..."

Demonstrating his impressive sleight of hand(teleportation) capabilities, Vahn promptly produced Bulma's two and five star dragon balls before holding them up to Goku and asking, "Ever seen one of these, kiddo...?"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn activated Charm. It was unnecessary...!','Uncle Vahn (O w O)...','Bulma is not prepared for how much her life is about to change xD...')