"You mean… even if it's not a full moon, Goku might transform on any day of the year, day or night? What if a professional hypnotist put him under—would that also trigger a transformation?" Bulma asked while deep in thought.
Her guess startled Yamcha and Puar, who had followed behind Taro, quite a bit.
Krillin also felt a chill run down his spine. Wait, any day of the year? Seriously? Then he remembered… he had been sleeping next to Goku almost the entire trip! His eyes welled up with tears. Dear gods, the fact that I'm still alive is pure luck!
Taro chuckled. This kid Bulma was incredibly sharp. No wonder Hathaway said that seeing Bulma was like looking at a younger version of herself.
"The key to the Ozaru transformation lies in the tail. Goku's race absorbs Blutz Waves from moonlight during normal days and stores them in the tail. A full moon—or even thinking it's a full moon—is just a trigger for transformation," he explained.
"I see…" Bulma looked at Goku, who was still unconscious and dangling upside down in Taro's grip.
She keenly picked up on the wording—Taro had said "Goku's race", which meant…
"Any other questions can wait," Taro patted Bulma's shoulder. The little girl from before had grown up. He pointed to the field in the distance, where a golden lightning bolt streaked through the air. "You've got other things to take care of. Can't just leave that alone, right?"
That's when Bulma remembered the Dragon Balls and Shenron. She turned to look—Shenron's glow still shimmered in the sky, yet no one was paying attention to him. He looked… kind of lonely.
"Right. The Dragon Balls—this all started because of me and Goku," she murmured.
"Man, I almost forgot about the Dragon Balls too…" Krillin scratched his head. The arrival of the Muten Roshi kind of overshadowed everything else.
"Let's go." With a sweep of his sleeve, Taro unleashed a warm gust of air that enveloped them. In the blink of an eye, the world spun. Yamcha gasped and looked around—the ruins of the castle they had just been in were now far behind them. As light flickered, he turned his head to see Shenron's massive form already looming right in front of them.
"Good thing Hotpot and the others didn't get to make their wish before the Muten Roshi blasted them away…" Krillin let out a relieved laugh.
Yamcha nodded. "Yeah, if they had…"
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Probably something lame, like 'rule the world' or whatever. So boring."
"Even Shenron couldn't grant a wish like that," Taro said with a shake of his head.
"Huh? Why not? I thought he could grant any wish?" Yamcha asked, surprised.
Taro looked up. He had seen this dragon many times over the centuries. Shenron had intelligence. Even if Shenron was a little slower than Porunga, he was still a sentient being. Taro was confident the dragon remembered him.
"Shenron can't grant wishes beyond the scope of his power."
"I see," Bulma said with a knowing smile.
Krillin was a beat slower, but it clicked soon after. He muttered, "Because… the 'world' in 'rule the world' includes the Muten Roshi…"
Yamcha also picked up on it. "And Shenron's power… can't overcome the Muten Roshi's…"
He was left speechless. The mighty Dragon Balls and Shenron suddenly felt way less impressive. Like Krillin, he was once again struck by how overwhelming Taro's power really was.
"Kid, you handle it." Taro placed Goku on the ground. "Since you were the ones who gathered the Dragon Balls, the wish is yours to make."
Right then, Goku began to stir. He blinked a few times and immediately spotted Taro standing in front of him.
"Grandpa Master?" he exclaimed, flipping upright in a single motion. He noticed the new clothes he had on and tilted his head. "Huh? When did my clothes change?"
Krillin and Yamcha exchanged odd looks.
"What's wrong with them? They're acting weird." Goku looked at them, then turned toward Bulma—
—and saw the massive figure of Shenron floating overhead.
"Whoa! That's Shenron? What's going on?!"
Ask yourself!
Krillin and Yamcha screamed internally.
"You who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls… state your wish. No matter what it is, I can make it come true…"
Shenron, seeing new humans had arrived and Hotpot's crew had vanished, repeated his iconic line once more.
"No, it's not 'any wish can be granted' at all!" Krillin and Yamcha thought the same thing simultaneously, both sneaking glances at Taro. The Muten Hermit looked even younger than they had expected… but they weren't stupid enough to believe that was his real appearance. It had to be some sort of spell that made him look young.
"Goku, what wish do you want to make?" Bulma asked after a moment's thought, tossing the question over to him. "I don't really have any big wish myself… what about you guys?" She was asking Krillin and Yamcha now.
I want a pretty girl who doesn't scare me!
I want to be the number one martial artist in the world!
Yamcha and Krillin screamed in their hearts. But… the Muten Hermit was right there! Who'd dare say such a wish out loud? They'd get flattened for sure! Just like what happened to that Gang—they were launched so far they vanished into the horizon!
"Uh… I don't have anything either."
"Forget it, you and Goku collected the Dragon Balls—leave it to you two."
So they both said.
Goku looked up at Shenron and seemed to think seriously for a moment. Then he scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Shenron! Bring back to life the pig I ate!"
"Goku!" Bulma covered her mouth, moved beyond words.
"Uhh…" Krillin remembered something unpleasant.
"A pig?" Yamcha tilted his head, totally confused.
All that work collecting the Dragon Balls, and the wish was… to revive a pig he ate?
"Hehe, Grandpa Master, is that okay?" Goku turned his head to ask.
"Of course it's okay," Taro replied with a smile. Then he looked up and said casually, "Shenron, go ahead and grant it."
"…That wish is… very simple," Shenron said, the red glow in his eyes flaring as his deep voice lost its earlier grandeur.
"If you ever have questions," Taro said to Bulma before vanishing, "you can ask Jarvis in the Virtual Earth Network. He'll tell you what you want to know… about Goku."
Shenron vanished. The seven Dragon Balls shot into the sky. Goku leapt up high and, with perfect aim, caught the Four-Star Ball that should have flown off to some distant part of the world.