Chapter 3: Bulma's Rebirth
Bulma was deeply moved then, and she understood.
If Goku were still alive, none of this would have happened.
But it was Gohan's words—"If only Dad were here"—
that ignited a spark of hope in Bulma.
She found a direction for her efforts.
After 20 years of research, she finally completed the Time Machine.
She sent Trunks back to the past to seek help and deliver medicine to Goku.
And it worked.
When Trunks returned, he told her about Prince Vegeta's unexpected romantic side—even she was surprised.
Bulma remembered clearly:
When Vegeta was still alive in her timeline, she had never felt a shred of security from him, nor experienced any warmth—only pride and indifference.
Bulma believed that the Vegeta Trunks encountered in the past must have been gradually changed by Goku's presence in that world.
Hadn't Tien Shinhan and Piccolo been living proof of that?
Goku might seem foolish, but he was truly extraordinary.
Decades later, the person Bulma trusted most in her heart was still Goku.
The creation of the Time Machine not only allowed Goku in another timeline to receive the cure and survive, but it also saved her own world.
Bulma felt immensely relieved; all her efforts had not been in vain.
Back then, she also wanted to return to the past to see Son-kun.
But she had grown old.
That world had a younger version of herself, and also had Chi-Chi.
She didn't know how she would handle it if she went.
She was afraid that if she went, she wouldn't want to come back.
So, she didn't return.
Instead, she lived on in this broken world.
During the quiet nights, she couldn't help but feel lonely and let her thoughts wander.
She had thought about it many, many times...
If life could start over, how wonderful it would be if she could choose Goku...
Unfortunately, life doesn't have "what ifs."
As Bulma's memories kept replaying, Black Goku's hand flashed with explosive energy at that moment.
In an instant...
Bulma's body was blasted into nothingness.
A familiar song drifted through Bulma's consciousness.
A Romance Dedicated to You...
As the melodious sound of the song floated through her mind,
She seemed to see young Goku again,
Saw the times they adventured together.
With a satisfied heart,
She completely lost consciousness...
When she woke up, she found herself back at 16 years old.
Back at the very beginning of her journey, when she had just run away to search for the Dragon Balls.
Bulma touched her cheek in disbelief.
"I've been reborn!"
Suddenly, a screeching sound startled Bulma.
She turned to look, and over Mount Paozu in the distance, a flash of light seemed to streak across the sky.
A dinosaur seemed to have been hit by something, falling from high above.
Bulma looked at the mountain with a puzzled expression.
In just a moment, she knew exactly where it was.
"That's Mount Paozu! Goku's home."
Her miserable life had ended,
And she could start over again, how wonderful.
Bulma was ecstatic, her eyes growing much more determined.
"Goku, I'm coming to find you!"
"This time, I'm definitely going to keep you by my side, I won't let Chi-Chi steal you away!"
After saying this, Bulma stepped on the gas and sped toward Mount Paozu...
As the saying goes, the mountain is closer than it appears.
Even though she had just seen the mountain,
It took a full hour of driving to reach the foot of the mountain.
Now, following the winding mountain road upward, she still hadn't reached the summit after another hour of driving.
Bulma couldn't help but sigh, thinking that even as an experienced driver, her speed wasn't enough!
As she continued, a small mountain stream came into view.
Distant memories surfaced in her mind once again.
She remembered that this was the same stream she had seen during her first visit in her previous life.
That day, Goku had caught a big fish from the stream to eat.
Because young Goku didn't know any better, he almost thought she was there to steal his food.
Seeing this stream, Bulma knew that Goku's home wasn't far away.
Through the trees, Bulma finally spotted smoke rising from the mountaintop,
A smile appeared on her face.
As expected,
That smoke must be from Goku roasting meat.
The corners of Bulma's mouth lifted slightly as she suddenly stepped on the gas,
Accelerating along the winding mountain road toward the summit.
Suddenly, a small figure abruptly appeared in front of the car.
The person was carrying a turtle shell on their back and seemed to be walking on their hands, so she couldn't see their face.
Startled, Bulma slammed on the brakes, but it was too late to stop the car completely.
The tires skidded, and the car slid toward the figure ahead.
In her panic, Bulma gripped the steering wheel tightly and closed her eyes.
Expecting to crash and total the car.
Unexpectedly, after closing her eyes, there was no sound of impact,
Moreover, she felt the car had stopped.
Bulma decisively opened her eyes.
Standing before her was a little boy with a tail.
Bulma couldn't help but feel her heart tremble, her breathing growing rapid.
Wasn't this the young Goku she had been longing for?
His clear yet naive gaze gave Bulma an incredibly familiar feeling.
Bulma eagerly approached young Goku, her hands trembling with nervous excitement.
In this lifetime, this was Goku's first time meeting her.
But in that desperate timeline, for over twenty years, there was hardly a day she didn't miss this face.
Without any explanation, Bulma tightly embraced Goku.
Suddenly being hugged so tightly by Bulma left Goku completely bewildered.
Strong doubts flashed through his mind.
'What's going on?'
'Isn't this Bulma?'
'Why didn't she shoot me?'
'Instead, she hugged me as soon as we met?'
Feeling Bulma's body continuously trembling,
Goku remained completely still.
She's so soft, and hugging her feels so comfortable.
Plus, she smells really nice too!