Chapter 14: Gathering the Seven Dragon Balls
"Come on! No need to be so distant. Your home is my home, right?" Goku playfully winked at Bulma.
Bulma's face instantly turned bright red. Though she had a bit of a crush on him, she was still an innocent girl who wasn't used to being teased like this. The old Goku had always been pure-hearted, so she never thought of him in that way before. But now, things were clearly different.
"I think I've got a chance!" Goku thought to himself, feeling pleased. But now wasn't the time for flirting. He had to find the Dragon Balls as soon as possible. Looking toward Saeko and the other girls, he said, "Alright, you all can stay at Bulma's place for now. Whatever you need, just ask. No need to be shy—her family is the richest in the world, after all!"
And so, Saeko and the others temporarily settled in at Bulma's home, while Goku set off alone in search of the Dragon Balls.
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In just a few short hours, Goku had already gathered five Dragon Balls. Combined with the one he already had, he was only missing one more. Now, he was heading toward its location.
The last Dragon Ball was hidden in a barren wasteland, where nothing but sand and rocks stretched as far as the eye could see. Goku landed atop a massive boulder, pulled out the Dragon Radar, and searched around. After some time, he finally spotted the Dragon Ball in a small crater.
"Haha! It's the Five-Star Ball! Finally, I have all seven!" Goku was beyond excited. One of his wishes was finally about to come true.
Just as he placed the Dragon Balls on the ground, ready to summon Shenron, a loud explosion echoed from the distance. Raising his head, he sensed a familiar energy approaching. His face showed a hint of surprise.
"This energy… it's Piccolo! No… it's King Piccolo's energy! I wasn't expecting to run into him here!"
Goku quickly picked up the Dragon Balls, put them in a bag, slung it over his waist, and flew toward Piccolo's location.
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At that moment, Piccolo was unleashing destruction upon a mountain range. With powerful punches and kicks, he shattered entire rock formations. His loud roars echoed through the wasteland. Every attack sent debris flying, reducing the once-proud peaks to mere rubble. After finishing his rampage, he hovered in the air and let loose a barrage of energy blasts, completely leveling the area below.
"Haah… haah…" Piccolo panted heavily after his intense training session.
Suddenly, he sensed something in the sky and turned his head sharply. His eyes narrowed, filled with murderous intent.
"This energy… There's no mistake!"
Goku landed on a rock, looking down at Piccolo with a calm smile. "Should I call you Piccolo or King Piccolo?"
"Son Goku…" Piccolo's voice was laced with malice. "I wasn't looking for you, but you came straight to me. Perfect! If I kill you, I can rule this world!"
Goku scoffed, crossing his arms. "With just a few hundred battle power? What exactly do you think you can do to me?"
Piccolo's face twisted in anger. "Then let me show you the results of my two years of training!" He stomped the ground, sending cracks through the rock beneath him, and then lunged at Goku with a powerful punch.
However, despite the force behind it, Goku effortlessly stopped the attack with just one finger.
Piccolo's pupils shrank in disbelief. "Impossible…!"
"Die, you—!" Piccolo roared, but before he could finish, Goku's fist buried itself in his stomach. The impact left Piccolo gasping for air, clutching his abdomen as he collapsed to his knees in pain.
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Piccolo couldn't believe what had just happened. A former rival who had once been his equal had now defeated him in a single move.
"This… this can't be real…" he muttered in shock.
Goku stared down at him and said coldly, "Believe it. Let me show you just how big the gap between us has become!"
With that, Goku clenched his fists and let out a deep shout. His aura surged, sending a shockwave across the landscape. The ground cracked, and loose stones floated into the air under the pressure of his immense energy.
Piccolo's entire body trembled. "This… this power… it's overwhelming… I… I can't win… Am I actually afraid? No… this is ridiculous…!"
In truth, Piccolo's despair was even deeper than when Raditz had defeated him in the original timeline. Because right now, Goku's power level had already reached 35,000—even greater than when Vegeta first arrived on Earth.
Goku smirked. "You're too weak. Killing you wouldn't even be interesting." With that, he flew away.
As Piccolo knelt there, fists clenched, his rage boiled over. "Damn it… damn it! He looked down on me… like I was nothing… Son Goku! One day, I'll repay this humiliation a hundred times over!"
This battle changed the course of history. When the World Martial Arts Tournament arrived a year later, Piccolo didn't show up. Instead, he trained in solitude, refusing to emerge until he was certain he could defeat Goku.
But Goku? He had already moved past such small matters. His focus was now on the powerful foes that awaited him across the universe.
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At Capsule Corp's spacious courtyard, Goku poured the seven Dragon Balls onto the grass. Behind him, Saeko and the other girls watched in anticipation and curiosity.
Bulma smirked at them. "Just watch, and you'll see!"
Goku raised his arms and shouted, "Come forth, Shenron!"
The sky darkened as storm clouds gathered, and a massive dragon burst forth from the Dragon Balls, coiling through the heavens.
"Speak your wish," Shenron's deep voice echoed. "I shall grant you one wish… within my power."
The girls were left in awe.
"It's real… it's really a dragon…"
Bulma, satisfied with their reactions, folded her arms smugly. "Impressive, right?"
Goku took a deep breath before making his wish.
"I want a spatial ring—a ring that holds an immense space inside, large enough to house people. And within that space, I want a Time Chamber like on Kami's Lookout, but with a gravity Device that I can freely adjust. The maximum gravity level should be as high as possible!"
Shenron's eyes glowed red. "Your request is quite complex… but it falls within my power. Please wait…"
After about five minutes, a simple-looking ring fell from the sky into Goku's hands.
"Your wish has been granted. However, the space inside the ring is only one-fourth the size of Earth. The rest… you'll have to see for yourself. I have also linked the ring to your mind—you can enter and exit with a thought. Now, farewell!"
As Shenron disappeared, the Dragon Balls turned to stone and prepared to scatter. But before they could, Goku quickly threw up an energy barrier, trapping them. The stones fell harmlessly to the ground.
"Heh, I had a feeling this would happen," Goku chuckled. "Good thing I came up with this energy-binding technique. Now, I won't have to waste time searching for the Dragon Balls again. Plus… if I store them inside the World Ring in the Time Chamber, does that mean I only have to wait one day before making another wish?"
Holding the ring, the girls were equally amazed.
"Is this really a spatial ring? I've only ever seen things like this in novels!" Shizuka's large eyes sparkled as she stared at the ring in Goku's hand.
"One-fourth the size of Earth? Just how big is that? Quick, Goku, let's go inside and check it out!" Rika was equally excited. After all, this was a legendary spatial ring—how could she not be thrilled?
With a single thought, Goku activated the ring, and in an instant, Bulma and the others were pulled into a small spinning black hole that suddenly appeared before them. Then, Goku himself was drawn in as well.
Inside the 'spatial ring'—or rather, what should be called a 'World Ring'—the black hole's vortex faded, revealing a breathtaking landscape. They found themselves standing on a vast grassy field, surrounded by towering mountains. The air was fresh, the scent of flowers lingered, and birds chirped melodiously—it was like a paradise on Earth.
"Wow! This place is beautiful!"
"It's so huge! We're really inside the ring!"
The girls were amazed, while Alice gleefully ran through the flower fields, laughing happily.
"Haha! Shenron really outdid himself with this one! This place is perfect for my—" Goku paused and grinned. "Well, never mind that! Ladies, let's go check out that castle!"
In the distance stood a grand and luxurious castle. It was elegant and magnificent, as if it had come straight out of a fairy tale. At the very back of the castle was a special training chamber—one that resembled the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Kami's lookout. The only furnishings inside were a small resting area and a gravity device capable of reaching up to 100,000 times Earth's gravity.
After exploring, they realized that although this world had mountains, rivers, and forests, it lacked any form of wildlife. So, they decided to bring in various species—countless fish for the rivers and oceans, and numerous animals for the forests. Of course, they left out any overly dangerous creatures. And just like that, a small, self-sustaining world was born!
To ensure their survival, they also moved in an abundance of daily necessities. Naturally, all the expenses were covered by Bulma—after all, Goku had saved her life countless times, and she was more than willing to help.
Wanting to prepare for future battles, Goku also visited Korin and obtained Senzu bean seeds along with cultivation methods. He transplanted them into the world ring and entrusted the girls with tending to them. This meant that, moving forward, they would have an endless supply of Senzu beans!
After three days of preparation, Goku decided it was time to begin serious training. However, during this period, he made a disappointing discovery. Even though he placed the Dragon Balls inside the training chamber, hoping the time dilation would let him use them sooner, they remained in their stone form. It turned out that using a wish consumed "real-world positive energy," and until that energy naturally replenished, the Dragon Balls couldn't be used again. Typically, this process took about a year. No matter how long they stayed in the chamber, the Dragon Balls would remain inactive until the energy recovered in the outside world.
Meanwhile, Saeko and the others decided to stay in the world ring. Goku took this opportunity to teach them how to control ki and even passed on the Bukūjutsu (Flying Technique). However, only a few managed to grasp it—Saeko, Yuriko, Rika, and Rei successfully learned it. Saya and Shizuka, on the other hand, found it too difficult and gave up early on. Alice, intrigued by the idea of flying, trained enthusiastically for two days, but once the excitement wore off, she also lost interest.
With the training completed, Goku began his own intense and grueling regimen. He started with 10 times Earth's gravity and, once accustomed to it, immediately pushed himself to 20 times.
Each time he reached his limit, he would eat a Senzu bean to recover, causing his power level to skyrocket. In just three days (within the time chamber), he had already adapted to 100 times Earth's gravity—a feat that originally took him six days in the Dragon Ball story. His talent was now even greater than in the original timeline.
However, Goku knew this was still far from enough. He needed to achieve the transformation into a Super Saiyan before he could truly challenge the dangers of space.
Despite months of training inside the time chamber, Goku found himself stuck—he couldn't trigger the Super Saiyan transformation, and it felt like he had hit a bottleneck. He knew that anger was the key to unlocking it, but no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't get mad enough.
Realizing he needed a different approach, he made a decision—to venture into space, seek out powerful opponents, and push himself to new limits!
To travel into space, Goku needed a spaceship. He searched for the old Saiyan pod he arrived on Earth with as a child and brought it to Dr. Brief, asking him to modify it into a proper interstellar vessel.
While the ship was being upgraded, Goku took some time to relax! During this time he also took Bulma and Kiriko in his harem, embracing a rare moment of peace before his next great adventure
The journey to the universe was about to begin!
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Let's Reach 100 Power Stones Together!
Once we hit the mark, I'll release a Bonus Chapter—worthy of a Saiyan Prince's attention!
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Remember: even Vegeta powered up with help (don't tell him I said that)