Lower Instinct - beginning of vegebul (+ gochi, tienlaunch)

It's over (vegebul)

Yamcha couldn't move a muscle. But he had to avoid the shame of being found by Vegeta in this state at all costs! So he gathered all his available powers and put them into a single try - the try to turn off that damn 400-times gravity. He was still having trouble breathing, which made it increasingly difficult to gather strength. But he had no other choice, because the heavy pressure pressed him to the ground and threatened to suffocate him. He had never experienced anything like this!
With the greatest effort he managed to pull his hands up and then lifted himself against the pressure. He had to push so hard that the blood vessels in his eyes and nose burst. Shivering, with gnashing teeth, he finally grabbed the gravitational machine's casing and then, with all his strength, pulled himself up piece by piece. While he was still kneeling on the floor, he managed to peek over the edge of the control panel, which he then slid a hand over. Slowly but surely his strength left him.
//Ngh, c-come on... Just... a little... more...//
His finger twitched.
And finally, he got it slid over the off button - and normal gravity was instantly restored.
"Aahh!!" Yamcha let out a loud squeak of relief as he caught his breath again.
He remained seated with his back against the machine, breathing heavily in and out, and covered his ears with his hands because an enormous pressure had built up in his head.
When the pressure eased a little, Yamcha stared in disbelief. He was still shaking all over.
//How does this guy stand it...?// he asked himself seriously. //That's not normal...//
He probably had to admit to himself that he wasn't up to Vegeta's training.
And above all that he wasn't up to Vegeta himself.

Luckily no one had noticed anything about Yamcha's gravity room escapade. Nevertheless, this incident had gnawed quite nasty at his self-confidence - in addition to the rebuff he had previously received from Bulma...

Her mind had sort of 'reset' the following day and she had reconsidered the situation with Yamcha. She felt sorry for rejecting him like that, so she wanted to surprise him with a nice home-cooked dinner. And that despite the fact that she would much rather be in the laboratory or workshop than behind the oven.
So she cooked him his favorite meal, had bought an expensive wine and dressed herself up. She had deliberately stayed away from the gravity room because the fantasies of the day before had receded into the background and should stay there. She didn't want to see or think about Vegeta and instead focus fully on Yamcha.
So after everything was prepared and served, Bulma sat at the dining table and waited for him. Unfortunately, he didn't show up at the expected time and the more time passed, the more impatient she became...
"Where is he?" she wondered aloud while checking her clock again.
By this time, he was usually long gone from his training. The food was getting colder and Bulma's mood was getting worse.
...
And when she finally heard Yamcha's voice in the hallway, her face didn't brighten. Because she was too annoyed that she had to wait for him for so long. As soon as he appeared in the doorway, she stood up and slammed her hands on the tabletop.
"Where have you been?!" she snapped. "I cooked especially for you, you idiot!! And now the food is cold!!"
He immediately backed away, frightened, and raised both hands. "Oh dear! I-I had no idea..." he stammered. Then he looked past her to the table. "Um... that looks good!"
Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest and grumpily looked to the side. Meanwhile, Yamcha was still standing in the doorway, apparently not knowing what to do or say now.
"A-And of course YOU look good too!" he then added in an uncertain tone. "A really beautiful dress!"
Then Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked in his direction. Apart from the fact that he was late and now trying to wriggle out, she got the feeling that something was wrong. She started eyeing him, and he was getting visibly more nervous.
"Hmm..." Then she walked around the table and approached him.
Yamcha suddenly became very stiff and as she approached, he seemed to look around for help. He looked everywhere but at her face. Bulma came to a halt right in front of him and crossed her arms again over her chest.
"Why don't you look me in the eye?" she asked him.
"Oh haha, so you know..." He laughed goofily and scratched the back of his head. "I-I do! Whenever you're not looking!"
What a stupid excuse.
Bulma leaned forward a little and narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized his face. And then she simply voiced her vague suspicion.
"Puar?"
"What?!" He flinched on the spot, his hand still on the back of his head. "Nonsense, I'm Yamcha! I sound just like him! Uh, I mean like me!!"
Bulma had just put on an appropriate facial expression.
'Yamcha' cautiously turned his head in her direction - and when he saw her gaze, he let out a resigned sigh and finally transformed back into his cat form.
"You know I expose this, Puar!" Bulma muttered. "So what's with the crap? Where is Yamcha?"
"H-He's still training."
"You know I expose your lies too!" Now Bulma was getting seriously pissed.
And then Puar panicked. He stared at her in fear. But before he could then flew the coop, Bulma had grabbed his tail in a flash.
"Stay here! You're going to take me to Yamcha right now!"

And so, out of necessity, Puar had turned into a rocket and taken Bulma to the Taitans' training ground. In the meantime, some dark clouds were brewing in the evening sky and it looked like rain. Bulma hadn't even thought of a jacket, because she left with Puar in a hurry.
And now she was crouching behind some bushes in her expensive red dress and high-heeled shoes to spy on her boyfriend. Seriously, she had imagined this evening very differently...
Puar wasn't allowed to leave her side and so he looked around extensively for Yamcha, hoping to spot him first.
"I swear to you, Yamcha is really just going about his training!"
"Well, then he has nothing to worry about, huh?" Bulma replied grumpily.
And then it didn't take long for her to spot him!
Yamcha stood at the edge of the empty playing field. Bat on his shoulder, hand on hip, he was talking to a pretty girl.
Seeing Bulma see this, Puar broke into a cold sweat.
"S-See?" he said nervously. "He's only talking to a fan now. Let's go home and put the food in the microwave!"
Then he wanted to turn into a rocket again, but Bulma just promptly started moving - in the direction of Yamcha. However, she did not approach him head-on, but remained behind the bushes, moving in a crouching position through the undergrowth, while sharp branches and thorns tearing holes in her beautiful dress. But she was far too agitated to care about that. She desperately wanted to get closer and hear what the two had to discuss.
The young woman was certainly not yet 20 - of course younger than Bulma! - wore a red mini skirt with a white shirt and had long blond hair, which she tucked behind her ear with a sheepish smile.
"Hard to believe a baseball pro like you is still single," Bulma heard her say. She immediately turned her bewildered gaze on Yamcha. And when she then heard his answer, she really freaked out inside.
"Well... believe it," he replied with a cheeky smile.
But that smile dried up abruptly when Bulma jumped out of the bushes.
"And I can't believe what I'm hearing!!" she snarled angrily, pointing straight at him with an energetic arm wave. "Are you totally nuts, Yamcha?! You wanna kidding me?!"
He jumped violently from shock, fixed his wide eyes to her and immediately took up a defensive position. The blond girl had ducked behind him and was now peering out from behind his back, terrified. Bulma certainly didn't look particularly likable - standing there nagging in the sand, her dress in tatters, her hair full of leaves and twigs. And that crazy expression! She raised both fists in front of her face and didn't stop screaming.
"And then you tried to trick me with Puar!! How stupid do you think I am?! That didn't work the last time either!!"
And while she screamed louder and louder, the girl fearfully held Yamcha's arm. "W-Who is that, Yamcha...?" she asked sheepishly.
Bulma knew how to answer this question promptly, "Your worst nightmare if you don't sod off immediately, you hussy!"
The girl jumped and made a terrified grimace. And the next thing she did was run away screaming for help. Yamcha glanced after her out of the corner of his eye, but he had better direct his attention back to Bulma immediately.
"It's not what you think it is," he tried to evade.
"Oh no? I'm fed up, Yamcha! You need some affirmation for your ego again, don't you?" she accused him, clenched fists still raised.
A bitter expression crossed Yamcha's face. Bulma was unaware of his failed attempt to emulate Vegeta's training. She didn't know how miserable he had felt afterward and how much he really needed affirmation, just for his own sake.
"I'm not getting any more from you..." he burst out - but just a millisecond later he realized how egotistical that sounded.
But it still threw Bulma briefly off track. She paused for a moment and fixed his eyes. And then her posture and facial expressions actually seemed to relax a bit.
"You're right," she said suddenly, fixing her gaze. "Never again."
And as her sentence ended, the rain began.
...
For a moment there was nothing to be heard but an increasing, monotonous rush.
Bulma and Yamcha faced each other at a proper distance.
"What?" He looked startled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Guess what?" Bulma replied, her eyes showing anger and sadness in equal measure. "It's not like it used to be between us for a long time..."
"Things are changing now! You said so yourself!"
Bulma kept her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was now pretty soaked by the rain. "I never gave you any cause for concern. Unlike you."
"I haven't done anything! I..." However, Yamcha quickly realized that his defense was limping badly. He looked down dejectedly. "Yes, maybe I made a mistake. But you know, lately I've been feeling kind of second fiddle to you..."
"And that's reason enough to cheat on me?"
"I didn't cheat on you!"
"Yeah, not YET." Bulma tilted her head and eyed him suspiciously. "I heard exactly how you pretended to be single in front of this meanie. There you go! You can have that from now on. From now on you are at your free disposal for your fan girlies."
"Bulma--"
But she wasn't done yet. "You can pack your stuff, Yamcha! Oh, and you can take Puar with you too!" She pointed to the floating fur ball and then looked at him. "I thought we were friends! But you also cover up his crimes! What a nice friend you are!"
Puar pulled a deeply embarrassed face and his eyes filled with tears.
Meanwhile, Bulma made a demonstrative turn on her heel, but unfortunately she didn't get away as quickly as she had planned. The rain had softened the ground and she had sunk her heels into the damp sand. Startled, she stumbled forward, losing a shoe.
Yamcha immediately rushed to catch her, but she firmly pushed him away. Her head was red with shame and anger. She also had to take off the other shoe and then threw it straight at him.
"Whoa!" Yamcha managed to dodge the shoe quickly, but his face was scarred.
"It's over, Yamcha!!" Bulma yelled, eyes narrowed. Tears of anger stood in the corners of her eyes. "I never want to see you again!!"
Then she turned to attempt another dramatic leaving. Yamcha and Puar looked after her with downcast expressions.
But then both looked surprised when Bulma didn't start moving again. Her back was to them and she was standing barefoot in the mud while the rain kept falling on her.
"Hmph." Then she let out a grumpy sound. "After you brought me home, of course!"
Yamcha and Puar immediately slammed to the ground!


pic by https://imgur.com/5bGKB6v