Chapter 12 - New Improvements

Goku was currently talking to Bob and his partner... Bob, about their duties. Goku assumed that both of their names were the same but they vehemently opposed the idea. They said that their names are instead, opposite of each other.

Due to their persistent nagging, he had no choice to accept. Apparently, the Bobs heard that Goku placed second on the World Martial Arts Tournament before they arrived, so they already placed him as their boss despite the age and height difference.

To differentiate between the Bobs, he decided to call them Tough Bob and Tall Bob in spite of their grievances towards the confusion.

After talking to them Goku went over to find Bulma and Chichi to see what they were doing. On the way, he was able to find Dr. Briefs on the side working on something small. Seeing the opportunity, Goku approached him making his footsteps sound as to not scare the scientist.

"Hey, Dr. Briefs what are you doing?"

Dr. Briefs doesn't look at Goku but continues tinkering with whatever is in his hands. A robot cat?

"Just recalibrating this machine. I can't seem to get it to work properly."

"Have you ever thought about making a machine out of gravity or something?"

Dr. Briefs finally stopped what he was doing and looked at Goku for the first time.

"Gravity huh? I can see many implications for studying gravity and manipulating it but nothing really practical for me. Besides, there are nearly no studies on gravity so I would have nothing to go off of."

"Is it alright if you create a chamber of sorts that enhances the gravity inside? I think it will help me train my body a lot more effectively!"

"Did you not hear what I just said? Even if you are Bulma's little crush, it will take years to develop any gravity-related device. It's not that I don't have an interest in it, but I have no time because I almost have my robotic cat upgraded." Dr. Brief deadpanned. He then pressed a button from his pocket and an eerie purr that sounded like something was dying.

"What if I told you I have something that would help." Goku was wriggling his eyebrows in Dr. Briefs' direction.

---

"WHAT?! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU ARE AN ALIEN!" In the Brief's family personal lab, Dr. Briefs was observing Goku's spaceship while Bulma and Chichi were wailing on Goku for his secret.

"Well, it never came up! I don't have any memories of my home planet either. All my Grandpa said was that I came from that pod."

Bulma calmed down a little after his explanation. "Well, that explains the fact that there are no species like yourself anywhere on Earth."

"You looked up my species? I guess you are a scientist after all." Goku asked incredulously.

Bulma turned her head to hide away the blush that crept up her face. "Just curious."

"Anyways, Goku, why did you bring it here?"

Chichi asked the question on both hers and Bulma's mind. Why would Goku bring his spaceship to study suddenly without telling them?

"Well since the pod is from another planet, I was hoping that Bulma's Dad can study it so that he can gain some insight on gravity manipulation.

"Indeed!" Dr. Briefs came over to the little group with barely contained excitement. "This spaceship is amazing! Such incredible technology contained in such a small device! With this, not only gravity technology will be a breeze, but space travel as well!"

Dr. Briefs dragged the now starry-eyed Bulma that finally realized the opportunity to tinker with technology from Goku's homeworld.

Chichi and Goku sweatdropped at the sight of drool dripping off Bulma's chin and onto Goku's pod.

---

"29...30!" Goku right now was doing push-ups with the new gravity chamber that was recently whipped up to test it out. It wasn't a large room, just big enough to house 8 people comfortably as they were still researching the optimal ratio of metal to withstand higher gravity.

'Wow man, this is only 2x gravity yet it feels like my body wants to kill me.'

It was just a week since Goku arrived at the house and they were already able to create a prototype of gravity enhancement. The Briefs were truly mad geniuses if their lack of sleep the entire week wasn't the indicator.

"Hey Goku, you can train in here but remember that you are still technically our bodyguard! There have been some strange movements from the Red Ribbon Army near our house so I want you to go check on it!"

Bulma's voice came over the intercom that blared throughout the entire room.

"You know, if you make a portable version, then we can knock three birds with one stone! One for my training, one for bodyguarding, and one for enhancing your research!"

"Don't get your hopes up! We just made this 2x chamber so it is safe to say that a portable one, if even possible, is still a ways away. Don't worry though, we have been studying weighted clothing in conjunction with gravity, and we a prepared gi for you. It isn't as intense as 2x throughout your entire body, but it will do the trick."

Goku came out of the chamber incredibly sweaty. Waiting for him were Chichi and Bulma with towels and said gi on the table.

"H-Here Goku." Chichi offered the towel which Goku accepted gratefully. After drying himself, he excused himself from the girls to try on his new apparel in the bathroom.

'The weighted gi doesn't give as much as a full body work out, but it does help with getting better control towards such stress.'

"Hey, Goku! Remember that we are going shopping today!"

"Uhh, do I have to come?! D-Didn't you say to check the perimeter?"

"Yes, you do! You are our bodyguard so it is your duty to guard me with your body! You can do that after we come back! You need new clothes anyway!

Knowing that there was no way out, Goku stepped out of the bathroom to the expectant Chichi and Bulma.

"Oh, Goku! Check out my newest tech!"

As Bulma said that, she pressed on a little button on Chichi's watch-like accessory.

"W-Wait Bulma!"

Before she can talk anymore, Chichi instantly shrunk to the size of an average palm. Before she can plop down onto the ground, Bulma extended her hand to catch her.

"I am a genius right! This is my new shrinking technology! Chichi agreed to help me with the testing phase of it! Imagine all you can do with it shrinking to this size."

Goku was staring at the frantic Chichi on Bulma's palm in amazement. With Goku experiencing puberty and knowledgable of his previous worlds' multitude of fetishes, he blushed when he indeed imagined all you can do with it.

Forgetting about those crazy thoughts, he went to find the Bobs to discuss the security while he was gone. After talking to the Bobs about protecting the older Briefs, Goku set off to the shopping mall in West City with two teenage girls.

---

"Omg, Chichi you would look amazing in this dress!" Bulma was looking at Chichi in adoration while she slowly spun around to show how the clothes fit on her.

Goku was staring at the two while they were shopping with drool from his excessive boredom. Besides his feet were bags upon bags full of clothes and makeup that Goku had to lug around.

"G-Goku, how do I look?"

Chichi looked up shyly at Goku with anxiousness in her eyes. However, once she saw Goku's dozing expression, a fire suddenly lit inside of her.

She went up to him and thonked him in the head loud enough for the whole mall to hear.

"Even if you are bored, you are still Bulma's bodyguard so act like it!"

"Uhhhh."

Just as Goku became more alert, he sensed something headed their way at extreme speeds. Goku flung his hand to redirect the rocket that was about to hit the store.

The mall went into a panic at the sudden violence as the rocket exploded next to a bench instead.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! OFFICIAL RED RIBBON BUSINESS! WE WON'T HESITATE TO USE FORCE!"

Strolling in the area was an old hillbilly, a wolf standing on two legs, and their leader, a red-haired playboy. Despite his red hair, black trench coat, and blue shirt and pants, his name was Colonel Silver from the Red Ribbon Army if the red bandanas were an indicator.

"Hey Colonel, Commander Black had told us the Dragon Ball moved to this section of the mall."

Silver wasn't paying attention to the hillbilly that was explaining to him what he already knew but to the destruction that the rocket he ordered land astray from its destined path.

Looking towards the source, he saw a small kid giving him a glare that made him shiver down to his spine.

Silver approached the kid that was protecting two shocked girls. The kids gaze told him that he was special and knew about the Dragon Balls. Wonder what led him to that conclusion.

"Hey, kid, my team and I looking for an orange ball with reds stars in the middle. Have you seen anything like it? We will compensate you sweetly."

Goku, without any fanfare, launched a punch towards Silver. Unable to match his speed, let alone see Goku's fist approaching, Silver went flying unto a nearby fountain.

Everyone's eyes bulged out of their sockets with what just went down. The hillbilly and wolf started to fire bullets and rockets from their firearms in a desperate panic to make sense of the situation.

Catching every bullet and redirecting the rockets towards the ground, Goku was able to make sure no one got hurt. Using the bullets, he threw the bullets towards the henchmen to instantly knock them out.

"G-Goku, that was the Red Ribbon Army! It is the largest army right now on Earth! Do you know what you have done?"

"The army obviously knew that we have the Dragon Balls, it wasn't coincidental that they came here. We need to head to your home and check the radar. If they are gathering them, then it is for nothing good. We have to stop them."

Seeing his point, Bulma and Chichi agreed even though they wanted to stay double the number of items they had. Knowing their thoughts, Goku sighed internally out of relief.

'Phew, any more bags plus this weighted armor could have killed me!'

---

Arriving at the Capsule Corp, they find that it was smoking a little from the back!

They hurriedly ran to the front door to see it smashed open. Lying there in a pool of his own blood with multiple bullet impalements was Tough Bob.

Running up to see if he was ok, Goku noticed that he was barely alive due to his 'toughness'. Seeing Goku, alive with the two girls, Bob sobered up a little to impart the last message to Goku.

"They have... Briefs... Bob... Bob..." Bob was coughing blood while he was talking. Before he can finish, the light in his eyes dimmed and he officially left this world.

"BOB!

Although I only knew you for like a week...BOB!"

"Don't worry about him, he was on death row anyway. He apparently convinced my gullible dad to let him accept the job so he can delay the inevitable."

Goku and Chichi looked at Bulma with amazement with her lack of compassion for Bob. He was literally dying right before them and she had the gall to insult him? Have some heart!

Moving passed Bob, they arrived that the laboratory was the smoke was coming from. Inside were signs of a struggle and various machines had bullets holes in them. Making sure that none of the machines were going to explode, the gang started to look around for any clues.

They soon found the Dragon Radar smashed to tiny little pieces with a hammer next to it.

They all knew what had happened once they saw the wreckage and radar: The Red Ribbon Army had the intention of getting the Dragon Radar only to have Dr. Briefs smash it last second. They then kidnapped him for his knowledge about the radar.

"I am going to get your parents back Bulma. I will drop you guys off at Roshi's before heading off."

"I can't let you go, they are my parents! How will you find them anyways? You need my help."

"Yeah! This is something we need to do together, we can't just sit on the sidelines!"

Knowing that Bulma will not recreate the Dragon Radar unless she got what she wanted, Goku allowed them to come. They clambered onto Bulma's plane with Chichi behind the wheel. Bulma grabbed the broken Dragon Radar and started to rebuild it from scratch. They headed off to Master Roshi's place in the meantime to recollect and plan.