Tights was very interested in the Ki technique Yamiru was demonstrating. She repeatedly asked him to show off some flashy moves, but unfortunately, the most he could manage was having the Ki appear in his palm.
After all, this was different from the Kamehameha.
Releasing Ki all at once and finely manipulating it in the palm of one's hand were two completely different levels of skill.
To achieve the former, it was possible even without fully understanding Ki. For example, when Son Goku, Krillin, and the others first learned the Kamehameha, they couldn't even sense their Ki, and naturally, they didn't have much understanding of it. It was similar to the Bukujutsu. Even though Tenshinhan had mastered it, he still couldn't sense other people's Ki.
To use Ki freely, Yamiru still had a long way to go. He had a feeling that this road had no end in sight.
However, in reality, his current skills already surpassed those of most martial artists by far.
Though it was often said that martial artists on Earth reached high levels of cultivation, the truth was that very few had truly mastered Ki. On the other hand, in the universe, there were many powerful beings who, even without any understanding of the true nature of Ki, could manipulate energy in earth-shattering ways. Most Earth martial artists might not be on the wrong path, but they would likely never witness the true form of Ki in their lifetime.
Even more sadly, in such a "low martial" environment on Earth, it was still possible to dominate without ever understanding Ki, and one could easily defeat martial artists who had a basic understanding of it.
With a power level of under one hundred, the consumption of Ki techniques far outweighed their effectiveness, making it more practical to rely entirely on physical combat skills.
On Earth, martial artists with a power level over one hundred were truly rare. These top-tier fighters were either reclusive immortals hidden in the mountains, strong competitors in the world of martial arts, or elders from ancient martial arts schools, like the old monk from Orin Temple. Some were exceptionally talented, others were born with extraordinary gifts, and some owed their skills to the inheritance of tradition…
While Yamiru and Tights were chatting casually, Son Goku, riding the Flying Nimbus, returned from West City with Bulma.
He dropped Bulma down from the cloud, and she walked into the café, brushing off her dress and handing Yamiru the watch she had gone home to retrieve.
"What's this watch?" Tights asked curiously.
"My invention!" Bulma replied, hands behind her back, a little smug. "You should try it on, Tights."
Tights did as instructed, putting on the seemingly ordinary watch. She pressed the button on the side, and—whoosh—she suddenly vanished.
Yamiru and Bulma looked down, and Goku looked straight ahead as they all stared at the center of the table. There, Tights, who had been resting her elbows on the table, was now frantically scrambling onto the surface as her body shrank during the transformation.
She looked around at the three gigantic heads of Yamiru, Bulma, and Goku, and only then did she relax.
"What the heck? That's so scary." The mini Tights put her hands on her hips. "Is this some kind of prank invention?"
Yamiru called over a waiter to bring a cup of coffee at a moderate temperature. He placed the cup in front of the miniature Tights, and to his amusement, the porcelain white cup was now the same height as her! Tights looked up at the steam rising from the cup, eyes wide in surprise. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to make me take a bath in this? It's really hot, you know!"
"What's going on in your head? I just wanted you to try it," Yamiru said with a chuckle. "It's a rare and interesting sight. Bulma, do you have a camera? We should take a picture for the memory."
"I brought one." Bulma pulled out a capsule and opened it.
"Good idea." Tights didn't refuse. She stepped onto the edge of the coaster and leaned over the cup's rim to smell the rich coffee. Thankfully, her hair was short, so she didn't need to worry about brushing it back. She first tested the temperature with her lips and tongue, clicking her mouth in approval. The taste seemed pleasant, and she leaned down to sip, pouting her lips. With her tiny body and the cup nearly the same height, the scene looked rather comical and endearing.
"Click, click…"
Bulma continued to snap pictures from different angles, occasionally asking Yamiru for his opinion as a reference.
Tights was enjoying herself, propping herself up on the white porcelain cup, even swinging her little leg happily — almost tipping forward and falling completely into the coffee cup! Thankfully, Yamiru was quick to react, using his two fingers to grab Tights and lift her out just in time.
Tights' neck and above were soaked in light brown coffee, droplets sliding down her confused face, trailing down her slender, pale neck, guided by her delicate collarbones toward the center, just about to fall into the V-shaped space between them when two thick fingers blocked the way.
"..." Tights looked down and saw that her chest and back were being pinched by Yamiru's fingers. She glanced sideways at the owner of those fingers. "Hey, if you don't put me down soon, you'll squeeze my chest flat."
Yamiru placed her back on the table, grabbed a tissue to wipe away the wet spots on her, and jumped up to his chair. He then used the watch to return her to the original size.
"Let me see how the photos turned out," Tights asked, reaching for the camera from Bulma.
Yamiru smiled. "I think it might be time to start searching for the Dragon Balls again. We've been having fun long enough…"
---
So, the Dragon Ball search team set out once more.
The team now had a new member, Tights. She boarded the small plane piloted by Yamiru, while Bulma joined Goku, once again riding the Nimbus Cloud for a skyward joyride.
Yamiru thought to himself, "Bulma, enjoy these carefree days while you can. Once you start acting all prim and proper like other girls, you probably won't get another chance to ride the Flying Nimbus…"
The four of them followed the two kids, holding the Dragon Ball radar, flying ahead toward the signal of the nearest Dragon Ball.
"This one's really close." Goku glanced at the radar in Bulma's hands and then looked down at the earth below, scanning the area. "It should be nearby~~"
Bulma looked at the radar, suddenly exclaiming, "Ah!"
"Ah!" Goku shouted as well, pointing to a dark, eerie-looking castle below. "It looks like it's there!" He quickly turned around to check the radar in Bulma's hands again. Bulma had taught him how to compare the Dragon Ball radar's signals with the actual location. It was clear that the next Dragon Ball signal was coming from that ominous castle.
Bulma was also intrigued, carefully leaning over the edge of the Nimbus to take a closer look. She indeed saw a creepy old castle, and right in front of its entrance, a massive airship had just landed.
"Someone else is here," she said. "Could it be the owner of the castle?"
"Who cares? We'll find out when we ask!" Goku called out as he turned back to Yamiru and Tights. "Yamiru, Tights, let's go to that castle below!"
He stomped down hard on the Nimbus, and the cloud, as if in sync with his action, descended toward the eerie castle. Just a few meters from the ground, Goku grabbed Bulma and jumped off. Bulma landed firmly on the ground, patted her dress, and grumbled, "How rude."
"Haha." Goku wasn't sure whether he was laughing or apologizing.
The small plane followed, slowly descending as well. Yamiru and Tights stepped out from either side, then retrieved the plane into a capsule. Goku also waved goodbye to the Flying Nimbus.
"It doesn't look like the one from Oolong village…" Yamiru glanced at the extravagant airship parked in front of the castle. "This group of people should be Pilaf and his gang, right? The one full of ordinary people, animal people, and monster people. This team really brings together all three races on Earth."