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

Big Bang attack (vegebul)

"Nice to meet you, Bulma!" Mr. Namco offered her a friendly hand in greeting. "I've heard a lot about you!"
Bulma couldn't stop staring at his hat, but hesitantly reached out her hand, which he immediately took in a salute. He didn't seem to mind her apparent suspicion, just took a step past her, smiling happily, folded his arms behind his back, and gave a long, curious look around the lab.
Meanwhile, Bulma fixed her eyes on her father. And when he looked at her too, she frowned incomprehensibly and pointed her thumb at the man behind her.
"Seriously, dad?!" she whispered to him emphatically when he didn't seem to understand what she was getting at. "Tell me you missed the logo on his hat?!"
After all, it was no less than the logo of the Red Ribbon Army! And not in a million years - or for a million Zeni - would she let a member of the Red Ribbon Army use one of her inventions!
"What...?" Dr. Briefs blinked in confusion, but the next moment he slapped his forehead with an "I see!"
He then began to laugh, managing to levitate the cigarette butt between his lips, next crossing his arms over his chest and then saying the following so loudly that Bulma jumped in shock, "Mr. Namco is an avid cosplayer, you must know!"
"Cos...player?" Bulma repeated, blinking in irritation.
"That's right!" Mr. Namco suddenly exclaimed, spinning on his heel. He demonstratively tugged at the peak of his beige cap. "The Red Ribbon Army may have done their crimes, but I think their uniforms are just veeery snazzy!"
The suspicion wouldn't leave Bulma's face. Was this man just totally weird or was he actually a member of the Red Ribbon Army? But then why should he have strutted around so obviously in that uniform?
While she eyed the odd man skeptically for a moment, Dr. Briefs past her.
"Vegeta, what's up?" he wanted to know. "Would you like to demonstrate to the nice gentleman here how the combat simulator works?"
Bulma's eyes widened immediately. "Uh..." she began to stammer nervously, raising both hands to hastily dismiss the suggestion. Unfortunately, she didn't come up with any suitable arguments quickly, but she simply didn't know how Vegeta's current condition was and whether he was even able to--
"Sure," his harsh voice suddenly sounded.
Bulma had by no means expected this prompt agreement. Surprised, she looked over her shoulder in his direction. Vegeta seemed to have recovered from 'the incident' and now walked from the desk straight towards the combat simulator door. He didn't look at anyone, but added as he walked, "Bulma, give me the strongest opponent you have."
Quite apart from the unbelievable fact that he voluntarily called her name - now he also wanted to face the strongest opponent that the fight simulator had to offer? Vegeta has always been a bit megalomaniac, but now he must have gone completely mad! Was that what an unsatisfied Saiyan looked like...?
Looking highly uncertain, Bulma had pivoted with his movement and now watched as he had paused in front of the combat simulator's door. With his back to everyone, he waited for it to open so he could get started.
Dr. Briefs and Mr. Namco now let their expectant eyes wander from Vegeta to Bulma. And when she glanced in their direction and saw the friendly but demanding expression on her father's face, she let out a resigned sigh and went over to the control panel to make the necessary adjustments. When the door opened and Vegeta stepped through, Dr. Briefs and Mr. Namco positioned themselves behind Bulma to watch the upcoming fight via the monitor. They saw Vegeta standing in a wallless room. His arms hanging loosely, he looked disconcertingly serene.
Bulma eventually generated a random but very strong opponent for him as requested. She tapped the buttons wildly and a pixelated heap of data began to form in the simulation room, a little guy in a colorful robe with a head reminiscent of a zeppelin.
"What's that strange design?" Dr. Briefs asked loud.
"Oh, I just threw something together on the fly and this is what came out," Bulma admitted. "But don't let his looks fool you! So now he just needs a name. Hmm..." Pondering, she ran her fingers over the keyboard. "Let's just call him Z-E-N..."
And before the data heap could form into its final shape, Vegeta reached out an arm and unleashed a massive ki blast from his palm, pulverizing his unfinished opponent in one fell swoop!
"...OH!"
The deafening bang was fortunately muffled by the walls of the simulation room, but it was still so loud through the speakers that Bulma, her father and Mr. Namco had to duck behind the control panel and put their hands over their ears. And while the interior of the lab still shook under the echoes of the noise, Bulma squinted one eye at the monitor, which now showed nothing but the washed-out gray of a puff of smoke. It even cracked the glass surface of the monitor!
//H-He must be crazy!//, she thought, shocked by the tremendous powers of this Saiyan. Had Vegeta reduced THIS room to rubble as well?!
No. The combat simulator was still intact.
And Vegeta too, as was easy to see now that he was stepping out the door again as if nothing had happened. He gripped his wrist, bending the clenched fist back and forth from which he'd just launched his attack. He had destroyed his opponent within a second.
The three of them blinked at him over the control panel in disbelief. And all of a sudden, Mr. Namco jumped up as if stung by an adder.
"Fantastic!!" he roared in almost fervent enthusiasm, stretching both arms out to his sides. "Just fantastic!! What a Big Bang attack!!"
Vegeta just gave him a cool look, but raised an eyebrow slightly, somehow liking the term.
Mr. Namco was amazed. "And this battle simulator is perfect! Just perfect! It'll be of great service to us!!" Then he threw his head back and started laughing madly. "Muahahahaw!!"
Meanwhile, Bulma and her father had stood up again and eyed the ecstatic gentleman's delirium of joy with quite different expressions. while Dr. Briefs was visibly pleased, Bulma had put on a still rather skeptical expression and now began to add one and one.
//Fanatical outburst, mad twinkle in eyes, diabolical laughter... It couldn't be otherwise... He MUST be a villain!!//
Mr. Namco rubbed his palms together in anticipation and then turned to face her. "So? How much?"
And now sheer indignation was added to Bulma's skepticism. She raised her clenched fist in front of her face and answered harshly, "I'm not selling... especially to a sick nut like you!"
Dr. Briefs instantly grimaced in astonishment, almost choking on his cigarette butt. Mr. Namco, on the other hand, remained calm. He just looked at Bulma with raised brows in surprise and listened to what else she had to say to him.
"Cosplayer, don't make me laugh. You're part of the Red Ribbon Army, now admit it, you freak!"
However, instead of reacting with indignation to these insults, Mr. Namco suddenly started to grin. Then he closed his eyes and rubbed his nose with his index finger. "I play my role really well, huh?"
Again, Bulma could only blink in perplexity.
And then her father used the moment when Mr. Namco used the monitor as a mirror to straighten his cap to whisper in her ear behind his hand, "I told you so. He's a cosplayer. Don't you even know what that means? I thought you read those tabloids, just like your mother did."
"All I know is that he's a freak!" Bulma snorted back quietly, staring at the uniformed man.
"Yes, but this 'freak' is willing to pay you 20 million Zeni for shares in the battle simulator."
"25, now that I've seen what's possible in it!" Mr. Namco exclaimed enthusiastically, causing Bulma and her father to jump in shock. With his hand still on his cap, he aimed his unwavering grin at the two of them. "And yes, I guess I'm a freak. But as a game developer you just have to have a bit on your cap, muahaha! Understand? Cap!"

"Pffft, well that was really good!" King Kai himself had to admit, who had once again stretched out his eyes, ears and feelers in all directions.

"Y-You're a game developer?"
"Oh, please excuse me. I thought you knew my name!" Mr. Namco replied, then turned back to the combat simulator with burning enthusiasm. "I'm telling you, this is going to be a hit in the new Budokai Tenkaichi! Oh, I can't wait!"
"Tell me you're REALLY working on a new Budokai Tenkaichi?!"
"DAD!" Bulma immediately interposed. With a stiff posture she turned to him. "Why didn't you tell me that right away?!" she snapped at him, whereupon Dr. Briefs, however, only scratched the back of his head.
And while Mr. Namco couldn't stop raving and blustering about his latest video game, Bulma had to look around the room in surprise. Because someone was missing... Vegeta was gone!
In the meantime, he had probably just left the room unnoticed while she had to deal with this frea--er this game developer. She was trying to focus on his words now but couldn't resist a disappointed expression at the thought that this might have been the last chance for Vegeta and her. Apparently it just wasn't meant to be for the two to be together...


pic by https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/320811173447065453/