The five-star Dragon Ball!
Yamiru held the five-star ball in his hand, looking around the valley. He noticed that if one descended from the opposite side of the valley, the journey would be much easier. He mused that in the plot, the 16-year-old Bulma must have come down from that side and retrieved the ball safely.
"Awwooooo…"
Yamiru's ears twitched at the sound — a faint, sporadic series of howls echoing from all around.
It had been a long time since he'd heard such noises. On Mount Paozu, no wild animal dared to make a peep in the presence of him, Goku, or Grandpa Gohan. At the first whiff of their scent, the animals would tuck their tails and flee for their lives. Hearing this now, Yamiru almost felt nostalgic. These were unmistakably the growls of a pack of wolves, their mouths watering, green eyes gleaming in the dark, unable to contain their hunger.
Yamiru smirked and scanned his surroundings.
Sure enough, pairs of glowing green eyes emerged from the shadows, creeping closer.
"Well, aren't we feeling enthusiastic?"
Activating his Golden Veil, Yamiru quickly assessed the pack of about fifteen or sixteen wolves encircling him.
The wolves displayed remarkable coordination, forming a circle to trap him. Clearly, they had some level of intelligence — on Dragon Ball's Earth, some large beasts even boasted intelligence rivaling that of humans.
Yamiru smiled faintly. "Alright then, let's get started."
He tossed the five-star ball into the air.
At that moment, the alpha wolf sensed something amiss, its fur standing on end instinctively.
However, as Yamiru threw the Dragon Ball, he moved. His figure transformed into a blur, descending like a fierce tiger from a mountain or a dragon taking flight, vanishing instantly from the wolves' sight.
The pack collectively realized they had made a terrible mistake. They had picked the wrong target.
But it was too late!
Bang! Bang! Bang! … Awooooo!
The sounds of impact and the wolves' agonized cries merged into a deafening cacophony, like a sudden thunderstorm roaring past. And then, silence.
Yamiru reappeared in his original position, brushing off his martial arts uniform. Reaching out, he caught the falling Dragon Ball.
"Not bad. My skills have improved."
He tossed the Dragon Ball up and down casually, scanning the ground where the defeated wolves lay groaning. Selecting the two largest and fattest among them, he stepped forward, delivered two final kicks to ensure they were dead, and dragged them by their tails back to the plane.
When he returned, he found Bulma and Goku sitting side by side on the Flying Nimbus. Bulma seemed to be teaching Goku how to read a map.
Although Goku wasn't good at learning, he was incredibly good-natured — the type to laugh off his own struggles and openly admit, "I don't get it at all". Bulma, on the other hand, had been disconnected from average intelligence levels for so long that she couldn't tell the difference between Goku's cluelessness and that of others. Patiently, she kept teaching, as it helped pass the time.
"Goku, catch!"
Yamiru tossed the five-star Dragon Ball to Goku.
Catching it, Goku exclaimed, "It's the five-star Dragon Ball!"
Bulma cheered, "Only two more left to go!"
Yamiru nodded. They had already discussed the remaining Dragon Balls. The three-star was confirmed to be with Master Roshi, essentially as good as found.
That left two more: one that Yamcha would locate in the future, and the other in Oolong's village.
Yamiru knew the situation well. Smiling, he lifted the two dead wolves and called out, "Everything's going smoothly! Next, let's eat. Bulma, your mom packed a chef robot for you, right? Take it out and have it prepare some roasted wolf meat. Goku and I can learn a thing or two."
Bulma nodded and rummaged through her capsule case. Goku, meanwhile, couldn't take his eyes off the two wolves, drooling uncontrollably.
The chef robot from the Briefs family lived up to its reputation. The roasted wolf meat it prepared far surpassed the haphazard meals Yamiru used to make in both flavor and presentation.
Yamiru ate heartily, thoroughly enjoying the meal.
Bulma, with her small appetite and dislike for greasy food, shared half a wolf with Yamiru, though she barely ate much herself. Yamiru ended up eating nearly half the entire wolf on his own.
The rest of the wolf meat went to Goku, who wasn't picky at all. Sometimes Yamiru suspected that his Saiyan iron stomach had evolved to completely disregard taste. While Goku devoured his meal, Yamiru took Bulma for a walk around the valley, picking some fresh wild fruits to wash and give to her. As expected, Bulma loved them.
Click.
Beep, beep, beep…
In the valley, Yamiru extended one arm horizontally, letting Bulma sit on it as she nibbled on her fruit. Meanwhile, he operated the Dragon Radar, studying the location and distance of the remaining two Dragon Balls.
"This one seems to be near Dr. Omori place," Bulma remarked, glancing at the radar and comparing it to her mental map.
"There's no rush since we only have two left," Yamiru suggested. "The tournament I want to join hasn't started yet, so how about we go visit your sister first?"
"Sure," Bulma said, swinging her white sneakers as she sat on his arm. "But I feel like you just want to see my sister."
"Yep, I do," Yamiru admitted.
"Do you like my sister?" Bulma asked.
"I don't know," Yamiru replied.
"Oh." Bulma didn't seem to care. At her age, she had no interest in romantic matters. After she finished her fruit, Yamiru carried her back to the plane. They found Goku sitting amidst two wolf skeletons, patting his satisfied stomach.
"Time to get moving."
Yamiru nudged Goku, who climbed onto the waiting Flying Nimbus. Yamiru set Bulma down and asked where she wanted to ride. Bulma said the morning wind on the Nimbus had been chilly, and she felt sleepy, so she opted to ride in the plane to take a nap. She climbed into the cabin.
"Goku, follow me on the Nimbus," Yamiru instructed.
"Okay!"
The plane ascended from the valley, followed closely by the golden cloud, heading south before turning toward the eastern sea.
In the cabin's back seat, Bulma soon dozed off.
Half-asleep, she felt the faint vibrations of the plane's steady flight, the increasing warmth as they moved south, and the soft clicks and beeps of the instruments, muffled by the soundproof cabin.
Her dreams turned to inventions. She envisioned creating an incredible machine — large, freshly completed, emitting only a gentle hum as it operated. Dr. Omori praised her, saying, "Now this is a real time machine! Far superior to my half-baked attempt. It might even travel to prehistoric eras tens of thousands of years ago!"
Bulma nodded eagerly. "Exactly! I'll travel back and debunk those ridiculous savior legends. They're utterly unscientific!" Yamiru and Goku were awestruck, bowing in admiration. Her sister wrote about her achievements in a novel, and her father thanked her for inspiring new ideas.
Bulma felt someone shaking her awake.
Yawning, she opened her eyes to see Yamiru calling her.
"We're here. Time to get off. Your sister and Dr. Omori are waiting," Yamiru said with a smile, carrying the groggy girl out of the cabin. After landing, he opened a compartment on the plane, pressed a button, and with a pop, the plane transformed into a capsule. Yamiru caught it effortlessly amidst the puff of smoke.
Goku leapt off the Flying Nimbus, which curved into the sky and vanished. He waved at its golden trail, shouting, "Bye-bye!"
"A golden cloud. How absurd…" Dr. Omori, who had recognized Goku after two years but had never seen the Nimbus, stared wide-eyed.
Tights had cut her long hair into a sleek, stylish blonde bob. Seeing the tall man emerging from the plane carrying her sister, she exclaimed, "You… Are you Yamiru?"
Yamiru smiled. "Don't recognize me?"
Fully awake now, Bulma ran to Tights with open arms, laughing. "Sister!"
"Long time no see, Bulma," Tights said, hugging her before turning back to Yamiru. "It really is you! How did you grow so fast?"
"Eating a lot and exercising more, of course!" Yamiru joked, stopping in front of her. He was now slightly taller than her.
"That's just unfair," Tights said, tilting her head to look up at him. "You're taller than me now?"
Yamiru leaned exaggeratedly closer. "I've never looked at Tights from this angle before — what a fresh experience."
Unbothered, Tights crossed her arms. Her sleeveless shirt was buttoned all the way up, leaving no chance for him to see anything revealing.
She clicked her tongue. "Making jokes like this — you're not just growing physically, are you?"
They exchanged a glance, realizing their friendship remained unchanged. Both felt relieved.
Yamiru introduced Goku, "This is Bulma's sister, and over there is Dr. Omori, who as nothing to do with bulma family. You met them two years ago, remember?"
"Is that detail necessary?" Dr. Omori asked, exasperated.
"I don't remember…" Goku scratched his head, finding Tights vaguely familiar but unable to place her.
"Blame Jaco for that punch that night! He hit way too hard," Tights laughed. "Too bad he's not here. The Galactic Patrol seems to keep him busy."