Beta Testing the Apocalypse 038 (Patreon)

After deliberating and brushing his Eevee for more than an hour without coming up with any objectively better ideas, at least ones that wouldn't require 'at least' a green crystal, Leon approached the Angel and Devilring altars with a red crystal in hand, standing, "I would like to summon Bulma Briefs from the Dragon Ball universe."

Following a brief, probing sensation, which made his nonexistent ears ring as if he had a serious case of tinnitus, the two statues replied, 'Let it be done,' before the crystal in Leon's hand disappeared, followed by the appearance of a young woman with distinctive blue hair fashioned into a ponytail and large, equally blue eyes. Her outfit was a simple bright pink t-shirt that extended halfway down her thighs, but she had a stylish brown belt around her waist that gave it the appearance of a dress/skirt. Beyond that, she had a red ribbon keeping her braided ponytail up, a purple neck warmer, a single brown riding glove, a stretchy red wristlet, baggy purple socks, and blue shoes with red toes and soles, fastened by velcro straps.

"Huh? Where is this place...?" asked Bulma, her voice carrying the distinct intonation of a spoiled rich girl.

Before Leon could answer and explain things, Bulma looked down at the Eevee, her eyes widening before illusory hearts filled their depths.

"My goodness! I've never seen something so cute~!" exclaimed Bulma, picking up, spinning around, hugging, and rubbing her cheek against the Eevee's as it giggled happily. It had imprinted on Leon, but as the Maids who dropped by to feed it often doted on it and the Vulpix, it didn't mind Bulma's affection.

Calming down after her initial excitement, Bulma asked, "How about it, little guy? Want to become my pet? I promise to take real good care of you."

Leaving Bulma speechless, the Eevee went from smiling to a remarkably human expression of disgust as it grimaced, averted its eyes, and replied, "You're not Leon..."

Blinking in surprise, Bulma exclaimed, "Wow, you can talk?" before getting to the more important topic, asking, "And who's this Leon you're referring to? He can't be a better pet owner than me."

"Not a pet...!" exclaimed Eevee, surprising Bulma by wriggling out of her arms with tremendous ease. She had tried to hold on, but the Eevee was significantly stronger than she was, especially considering she had been freshly summoned.

"Hey! Hold on a minute...!" exclaimed Bulma, intending to chase the Eevee but stopping when she saw it bound up and into the Leon's invisible arms, hissing back at her like a cat until he calmed her down.

"First things first, I'm not a ghost," said Leon, prompting Bulma to startle, shrink away, and shout, "Ah, it's a g-g-ghost...!" despite what he had just said.

"Let me know once you've calmed down," said Leon, busying himself with scratching the Eevee's head, the base of its ears, and the underside of its chin. This prompted it to roll on its back, so he also gently tickled its belly while Bulma's expression went from fear to caution and then curiosity.

"So, what you, like, some kind of invisible man...?" asked Bulma, crossing her arms and approaching a little closer before blinking in surprise as she got a better look at the Eevee's underside, remarking, "Oh...it's not a little guy at all..." with a timid blush tinting her cheeks.

"My name is Leon Asheford," said Leon, clarifying, "And while I may look like an invisible man, it's more accurate to say I don't possess a body. As for where this place is, it's a hidden cave on the First Floor of a structure my people and I refer to as the Tower. You were summoned here because I believed your intelligence could be a great aid to me and my people."

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Leon?" replied Bulma, sounding more like she was asking a question. She also seemed to be fairly vain as she cupped her red-tinted cheeks, averted her eyes coyly, and asked, "So, you think I'm super smart, do you?"

Without waiting for Leon's response, Bulma crossed her arms and puffed out her smaller-than-expected but still shapely breasts as she declared, "Well, I'm usually 'super' busy, but you have a nice voice and seem like a pretty decent guy. Tell you what, Leon. Tell me what you and your people need, and I'll see what I can do!"

"Before that, mind telling me the last thing you remember?" asked Leon, clarifying, "Before you were brought here, that is."

"Hmmm...?"

Tilting her head twenty degrees, Bulma was initially confused by Leon's question until her memories came rushing back to her, causing her eyes to widen as she shouted, "Wait, am I dead!? Oh my gosh, I am, aren't I? Curse you, Goku! You were supposed to protect me...!"

Plopping to the ground in a w-seated posture, Bulma promptly began bawling her eyes out, shouting things like she was too young, too rich, and too pretty to die.

Though he was curious to know the specifics of Bulma's death, Leon deliberated for a moment before carrying his Eevee over to her, saying, "It's going to be fine, Bulma," in an assuring tone.

Accepting and cuddling the Eevee, Bulma looked up with teary eyes and asked, "How can you say that? I died, Leon! Kicked the bucket! Gave up the ghost...!"

"Look around you and check the condition of your body," said Leon. "You may have died, but this isn't heaven, hell, or a ghostly afterlife. You have a living, breathing body, and once I escort you back to my manor, you'll be able to fill your belly with delicious food, relax in a hot bath, and sleep in a comfortable bed."

"Really...?" asked Bulma, hugging the Eevee and burying the lower half of her face into the white fur around its neck as she asked, "Does that mean you're going to take care of me...?"

"I'm the Lord of this place and its future King," answered Leon. "I have a duty to care for all my people. But, as you're a very special woman, I can allow you to reside in my estate and afford you special treatment so long as you become my Chief Scientist and produce results."

"Isn't that like a quid pro quo...?" asked Bulma, a skeptical look adorning her face.

"That's life," replied Leon. "Expecting benefits without doing anything to earn them goes against the natural order and will upset those who work hard for the things they have."

"But I'm super cute and really smart..." Bulma protested. "You talk about the natural order, but aren't pretty girls and intelligent people 'supposed' to receive special treatment?"

"It certainly gives you an advantage," admitted Leon. "But, once we leave here, you'll discover there are quite a number of beautiful women roaming about. As for your intelligence...what good is it if you don't make use of or apply it? I'm offering you the opportunity to do so."

"But you're the one who brought me here..." muttered Bulma, teary-eyed and a bit miffed as she pointed out, "I didn't 'ask' to be summoned..."

"Would you have preferred to remain dead...?" asked Leon. "From what I recall, the afterlife in your world involves becoming a cloud and losing all sense of who you were. You would have just floated around, looking like every other cloud until everything that makes you unique faded, allowing you to reincarnate as a completely different person."

With Leon's reminder, Bulma vaguely recalled having to wait in a long line populated by tiny golden clouds, her body feeling fluffy and warm but her mind unable to focus. She remembered feeling calm and relaxed, but now that she had context, she trembled at the realization she had nearly been 'erased' and become someone else entirely.

"I don't want to disappear and become someone else..." muttered Bulma, fresh tears building in her eyes.

"As I said before, everything's going to be fine," assured Leon, taking a knee and gently caressing Bulma's head as he softly explained, "Even if you choose not to become my Chief Scientist, I won't banish you or throw you to the wolves. You might not be able to enjoy the extravagant lifestyle you had in your previous life, but you can discover happiness and purpose here if you look for them."

"Okay..." replied Bulma, her voice low and eyes still wet with tears but no longer sobbing. The Eevee helped a lot in that regard, so as Leon showed her around the First Floor and escorted her back to his estate, he allowed her to hold and cuddle it. Fortunately, there was always at least one Chef and several manor staff on duty, even during the early morning hours, so once they were there, he was able to set Bulma up with some of the best food she had ever tasted, a warm bath in the bathhouse, a fresh change of clothes, and a comfortable bed to sleep in...

...

..

.

"Making circuit boards and microchips from scratch is going to be a pain, but give me a month or two, and I should have a computer and a simple production line up and running," said Bulma, following a tour of the village and an introduction to Winry and her garage-like workshop.

"Are you okay with sharing a workplace, Winry?" asked Leon. "If not, I can set up another workshop on the opposite side of the estate."

"Of course, it's fine!" replied Winry, wearing a broad smile as she added, "Honestly, it can get pretty boring around here working alone. It'll be nice to have another female mechanic to keep me company and bounce ideas off of."

"Totally," appended Bulma, holding up her right hand in a fist and placing her left hand on her virtually nonexistent bicep as she mused, "Girl power, am I right?"

Flexing her much larger muscles, Winry grinned from ear to ear as she replied, "You can say that again~!" before both she and Bulma burst out laughing. Leon got the distinct impression that a secret battle of wills was taking place right before his very eyes, but he pretended not to notice as he said, "Then I'll get out of your hair. If you need anything, either submit a request, make an appointment, or drop by my room. Take care."

Without waiting for the two girls to respond, Leon turned to leave, hearing Bulma ask, "What did he mean, drop by his room?" before he was fully out of earshot. Fortunately, he was currently wearing his armor, or else he might have been tempted to double back and listen in on what Winry had to say in response...

...

..

.

*tok* *tok* *tok*

Though he somewhat anticipated it, Leon was surprised to hear a knock at his door while he was carefully grooming and brushing his Vulpix's six tails.

"It's open..." responded Leon, his voice low and relaxed but easily heard through the door. What followed was a brief pause before the person who knocked tentatively cracked the door, turning out to be Bulma in the same attire she had been summoned in.

"There's no need to be shy," said Leon, continuing to brush the Vulpix as he joked, "I only bite on request..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Exhaling an awkward laugh, Bulma entered Leon's room but didn't shut the door behind her. Then, crossing her arms in self-comfort, she looked around his room, remarking, "I thought you were just bragging when you said you were a Lord, but it turns out you're the real deal, huh, Leon?"

"I'm just faking it till I make it," contended Leon. Then, as his Vuplpix was glaring at Bulma as if she were seriously considering using Flamethrower to chase her away, he asked, "So, what brings you here this late?"

"Straight to the point, huh...?" asked Bulma, approaching Leon's bed and taking a seat so she could pet his Eevee as she explained, "I..I wanted to ask if you could let me perform a few summons. My father would make a great asset to you and your future Kingdom, and I think Goku would be a great help exploring the Tower..."

"The summon process is random," noted Leon. "Summoning your father shouldn't be too difficult, but Goku possesses a unique physiology and great potential. We'd need to farm and defeat at least a million monsters to even have a chance at summoning him..."

"That...that's a lot of monsters..." muttered Bulma, her jaw quivering and teeth beginning to clatter slightly. She had clearly come there to try and persuade him, but she had severely underestimated how difficult higher-grade crystals were to acquire, leaving the question, what did she have to give that was worth the lives of millions of monsters...?

...

..

.