Yamiru vaguely recalled that at the beginning of the plot, Bulma, upon meeting Son Goku at Mount Paozu, already had two Dragon Balls.
One was found in her family's warehouse, the Two-Star they had located the previous evening.
The other was one she had discovered on her own after setting out.
Later, when she partnered with Son Goku, they collected four more Dragon Balls in sequence from Master Roshi, Oolong's village, Fire Mountain, and Pilaf Castle.
Which meant...
"This is it, right? The place where Bulma found a Dragon Ball on her own must be here." Yamiru peered out from the co-pilot window of the small aircraft at the deep mountain valley below. "I still can't figure out how that fragile Bulma from the story managed to retrieve the Dragon Ball from down there. This is the same girl who got so scared she wet herself after being carried off by a flying dinosaur right after leaving home with Goku."
"Should we land?" the robot pilot, Mr. Aza-va, asked in its mechanical voice.
"Yeah, let's land."
Yamiru felt he'd learned enough by now. Not that he had suddenly become a genius. Aircraft on Dragon Ball Earth were just incredibly user-friendly. Even someone like Yamcha, a desert bandit, could handle various flying machines with ease. After observing along the way, Yamiru had a good idea of how to operate it.
The Flying Nimbus carried Goku and Bulma into the depths of the valley.
Meanwhile, the small aircraft landed on a relatively flat slope near the valley.
With a puff of smoke, Yamiru stored Mr. Aza-va back into a capsule. Then, he climbed into the cockpit and, with the engine off, practiced operating the controls for a while to familiarize himself further.
At that moment, there was a knock at the window. thud, thud, thud.
Yamiru turned to see that the Flying Nimbus had returned. Son Goku was outside, yelling something at him through the glass while pointing at Bulma beside him. The plane's soundproofing was too good; Yamiru couldn't hear a thing. He pressed a button to open the window, and Goku's voice came through loud and clear.
Goku was complaining that Bulma was in the way...
There were parts of the valley where the Nimbus couldn't go further, and Goku needed to explore on foot. But the terrain was rough, and Bulma, a pampered little princess, couldn't handle it.
"I'll go find it myself!" Goku said, easily lifting Bulma — who was slightly bigger than him — and handing her through the window.
"Are you sure you can manage on your own?" Yamiru asked, grabbing Bulma under the arms and pulling her inside, placing her in the co-pilot seat.
"No problem!"
With full confidence, Goku flew the Nimbus back into the valley.
Bulma didn't seem bothered at all by being left behind. After all, Goku was right. As a young girl, Bulma hadn't reached puberty yet, lacked complex emotions, and her exceptionally high IQ far outpaced her emotional intelligence. Her mind, stuffed with scientific knowledge, made her overly rational, sometimes even appearing cold and distant.
Seeing Yamiru practicing the aircraft controls alone, Bulma, bored, pulled a book from her backpack and quietly began reading.
After a while, immersed in her book, Bulma suddenly heard Yamiru speak.
"A storybook? I thought Bulma only liked scientific knowledge."
"The science I'm interested in," Bulma said matter-of-factly, "I've already read most of it."
Yamiru was stunned. "Didn't you just apply for your master's program yesterday?"
Bulma gave him a puzzled look. "I enrolled in university a year ago. But I finished learning all the material ages ago. My dad suggested getting a degree to make me seem more impressive, so I'm just registered as a student. In a year, I'll probably be registered as a Ph.D. candidate instead."
"..." Yamiru felt a strong urge to channel his inner Satan, but for the sake of his image, he restrained himself.
"After getting my doctorate, I'll probably register as a university lecturer for appearances. I'll keep that title until I lose interest… or until being a lecturer at my age is no longer remarkable," Bulma muttered, her tone carrying a faint trace of resentment.
This rare glimpse of vulnerability made Yamiru feel a hint of humanity from the young genius. He suspected that someone as gifted as Bulma, even if not as eccentric as Sheldon Cooper, might still struggle to connect with her peers. At university, her youth and privileged background likely left her without any equals to share a conversation.
"You don't like being like your peers, huh? Sounds a bit arrogant, Bulma," Yamiru teased with a smile.
Bulma didn't take offense — her temper was pretty good — and shot back, "Do you really think I'm like other people my age?"
Yamiru was at a loss, feeling like he'd just been outmaneuvered by Sheldon Cooper himself. Bulma's gaze seemed to say, "If you can't tell I'm a genius, how blind are you?"
To change the subject, he tapped the aircraft's control stick and asked with a grin, "By the way, have you learned how to operate this type of aircraft?"
He was careful to phrase it as "have you learned" rather than "can you operate". Even Yamiru knew that if Bulma wanted to learn something, she'd inevitably master it.
Bulma glanced at the aircraft model and replied, "I designed most of this model myself."
How is anyone supposed to talk to her?! Yamiru wished fervently for this girl to grow up and turn into the boy-crazy, lovestruck teenager he knew from the story. At least then she'd be easier to deal with! Defeated, he rubbed his forehead and asked, "Let's change the topic. What's that storybook about?"
Bulma, unbothered, followed his lead. She held up the massive book and commented, "It's just a bizarre, absurd myth. It's about a hero who saved the world long ago — the first God of Apocalypse. He defeated an invasion from the demon hell, sealed the gates of the underworld, and was worshiped as 'Our White God' and 'The Radiant Savior'. The story is interesting but completely pointless."
Yamiru perked up. He remembered that years ago, an old monk he saved from the Rabbit gang had told him legends about how animal and monster-type Earthlings originated in an era of ancient demons. Before he could delve deeper, the plane window was knocked on again.
Son Goku appeared, covered in dirt, making silent gestures through the glass.
Yamiru rolled down the window and heard Goku explain that, despite the radar's display, he'd managed to get lost in the valley.
"So dumb," Bulma remarked.
Goku scratched his head sheepishly and looked at Yamiru. "Yamiru, you should go find it."
"Hand me the radar." Yamiru climbed out of the cockpit, walked over to the Nimbus, and took the Dragon Radar from Goku. "You stay here and protect her. Watch out for any wild beasts."
"Got it." Goku nodded obediently.
Bulma pulled out a ray gun. Yamiru broke into a cold sweat and stopped her. "No, no, not that thing! Goku is more than enough to protect you. If you accidentally fire that and kill my buddy here, I won't forgive you!"
"Is it that dangerous?" Bulma reconsidered and put the gun away. "Then I won't use it anymore."
"I'll protect you," Goku said confidently, cracking his knuckles. "If a wild beast shows up, even better — then I can eat!"
With everything settled, Yamiru set off into the valley with the Dragon Radar.
He was already skilled in wilderness survival, but his abilities now were leagues beyond what they had been a few years ago. Terrain he once had to climb arduously could now be cleared with a single leap. To call him "as light as a swallow" would be an insult — he moved with such agility that even a forest full of monkeys would die of shame.
Yamiru worked methodically, carefully comparing the radar's signals. It didn't take long before he unearthed a shining orange ball from beneath a rock in the valley.
Smiling faintly, he wiped the dirt off the ball and confirmed it. From every angle, the Dragon Ball displayed five identical red stars.
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