After catching the Four-Star Ball midair, Son Goku landed back on the ground.
Krillin noticed what Goku was holding and exclaimed in surprise, "Why is it a white stone? Aren't those supposed to be Dragon Balls?"
"Bulma said before, after making a wish, the Dragon Balls turn into white stones. They only go back to normal after a year," Goku replied cheerfully, carefully placing the white stone into his small pouch.
Yamcha muttered, "If that's the case, there's no point in stopping one from flying off…"
"This is Grandpa's Four-Star Ball. I can't lose it," Goku said seriously as he tied the pouch securely to his belt and tightened it.
"But still, it's amazing you could tell which one was the Four-Star Ball with all that blinding light…" Bulma remarked.
"Heehee…" Goku just grinned.
Bulma glanced around. The wilderness where the Hotpot Gang had made their hideout was desolate. It had been the middle of the night, but then the sky had turned pitch-black when Shenron appeared. Now, the distant horizon was faintly aglow.
Dawn had come.
After a long and dangerous night, daylight finally arrived.
They all felt as if they'd just woken from a dream.
Not long ago, they'd been on the brink of death. Goku had transformed into an unbelievable giant ape. Then they met the legendary Muten Roshi and even summoned the mighty Shenron from the seven Dragon Balls...
It had been a truly incredible experience.
"Well, I guess it's time to part ways…" Bulma said, looking at Yamcha and Puar. She hadn't thought much of him at first, but in the end, he had helped them a bit. "What about you guys? Got any plans?"
"Me? Uh…" Yamcha got nervous under Bulma's gaze. He'd been around her long enough now that he didn't faint from panic anymore, but the problem wasn't totally gone. Scratching his head, he stammered, "I was thinking… um… of going to the big city… Yeah! The big city. I want to join the Martial Arts Association! I don't want to be a desert bandit anymore…"
As he went on, his voice became more confident and steady.
Probably had a change of heart after seeing the real Muten Roshi… Krillin thought silently.
"Of course, I'll go wherever Master Yamcha goes." Puar floated beside him.
"In that case, you should come with us," Bulma said. "It's on the way. My family lives in West City—it's a pretty big place. Of course it has a Martial Arts Association branch, and it's even a sub-venue for the World Martial Arts Tournament! Come to my place, I'll give you a proper sendoff—and Goku and Krillin too!" She waved her hand decisively.
"Will there be a lot of food?" Goku asked curiously.
"You'll eat yourself to death!" Bulma snapped, then turned to Krillin. "What about you?"
"Uh… I'll go with Goku. I need him to guide me anyway," Krillin said, scratching his head.
Yamcha felt a bit puzzled. He didn't really get what Goku, Krillin, and Bulma were hinting at. But Bulma's invitation made him happy. Blushing a little, he nodded. "Yeah, let's go to West City! Don't worry, I'll definitely get into the Martial Arts Association!"
It's been years… that old guy who lost the martial arts manual shouldn't be a problem anymore, Yamcha thought.
Didn't you say you were going back home to chase your childhood crush…? Puar looked at Yamcha in disbelief.
What do you mean 'don't worry'? Who even cares if you get into the Association? Bulma rolled her eyes and silently pulled out her capsule case.
---
BOOM!
"Bulma, didn't you say the fuel for the aircraft ran out?"
"Why are you so annoying?! I just remembered wrong, okay?!"
"..."
"Kinto'un—!"
"Let's go!"
"Dinner time, dinner time!"
"I heard there are a lot of cool places in West City… isn't the Virtual Earth Network Company headquartered there?"
"Huh? Didn't expect you to know that too."
"Heh, don't judge me just 'cause I'm a—uh, anyway, I know a lot more than you think!"
"Bulma, I heard there are all kinds of unbelievable things in the Virtual Earth Network. Is that true?"
"Krillin, didn't you say your necklace can connect to the Virtual Earth Network too…?"
"Oh, this? It's not actually mine… and it only lets you into the Muten Main City. But I don't have any Martial Arts Association points right now, so there's not much I can do in there…"
"Wha—Krillin, you're already a member of the Association?!"
"You didn't know?"
"Damn it, does that mean I'm the most behind?!"
"Nope—Goku hasn't joined the Martial Arts Association either… Goku, have you ever entered the Virtual Earth Network?"
"Nope, what's that?"
"Haha, looks like you've never been inside the Muten Tower, huh? Hehehe…"
A flying vehicle and a golden cloud sped off toward the horizon in the white glow of dawn, accompanied by the cheerful chatter of teenagers, until they disappeared from sight.
---
The journey was not short, but thankfully, they no longer needed to stop and search for the Dragon Balls. Flying straight through the sky, they passed a small town around noon and came down to grab some lunch. Then they took off again. Much to the local restaurant owner's shock, Goku leapt onto the Nimbus and shot into the sky. By around three or four in the afternoon, as dusk began to fall, the flying vehicle and golden cloud finally reached West City.
"What a huge city!" Krillin exclaimed, pressing his face against the window.
"It's so fancy!" Yamcha's eyes were wide with amazement.
Bumpkins, the lot of them… Bulma snickered to herself as she piloted the craft. Then she glanced out at Goku on the Flying Nimbus. He was also staring at the densely packed urban sprawl below. Though clearly amazed, he quickly began rubbing his stomach and frowning.
What a glutton!
"Hang tight! Let's make a run for home!"
With a sharp pull of the joystick and a shout, Bulma accelerated. With a boom boom, two blazing jets fired from the rear of the craft, leaving Goku and the Nimbus trailing behind.
"Hey hey! Don't speed up all of a sudden!"
"Ow!"
Krillin and Yamcha were thrown around inside the vehicle, completely caught off guard.
"Hehe… Let's go, Nimbus!" Goku grinned wide, cheering as he urged the cloud to keep up, refusing to fall behind.
Soon, Bulma's home—situated right in the heart of West City—came into view.
"Which one's your house?" Yamcha looked down curiously.
Bulma gave him a look like he was an idiot. "It's right below us. Can't you see?"
At the same time, she began lowering the vehicle. All her vehicles had special sensors installed that kept the home's security system from activating. They were whitelisted, so the craft could land smoothly on the lawn in the massive backyard garden.
Krillin's jaw dropped. "Y-You mean… all of this is your house? I-It's huge!"
Yamcha's eyes nearly fell out of his head. He was utterly floored.
Even he wasn't dumb enough not to understand how insanely expensive real estate was in the heart of West City. For Bulma's family to own such a massive estate in this location… So this girl's family was this filthy rich?!
"I'm so hungry…" Goku practically rolled off the Nimbus.
Just then, the back door of the building opened, and Bulma's mother, Mrs. Briefs, came out. Squinting and covering her mouth in surprise, she said, "Oh my, you're finally back… And with so many young men! Bulma dear, are these all your boyfriends?"
"Uh…" Krillin and Yamcha looked super awkward, while Goku didn't even understand what Mrs. Briefs was talking about.
"What the heck are you saying?! Shut up already! You're so embarrassing!" Bulma turned beet red and shouted at her mom. Then she quickly changed the subject. "I'm starving! Tell the kitchen to get dinner ready… and make lots of meat!"
---
That night, dinner at Bulma's place was absurdly extravagant. Yamcha and Krillin had never seen so much food in their lives—food with names they couldn't pronounce, and ingredients they couldn't even recognize. They nearly swallowed their tongues.
And in that moment, they were both incredibly jealous of Goku. That guy's stomach was a black hole. Even after Krillin and Yamcha were stuffed to the brim, Goku was still chowing down at the same pace, cheeks bulging and eyes squinting like crescent moons in sheer bliss.
"His stomach's gotta be from that giant ape or something…" Yamcha whispered to Krillin.
Krillin broke into a sweat. Honestly, that might actually be true. There's no way a normal human could eat that much. Thinking of that giant ape, both he and Yamcha shivered. If the Muten Roshi hadn't shown up in time, they'd have been stomped flat by Goku's transformed form.
Hopefully, after visiting the Muten Roshi, Goku's little problem could be resolved?
Otherwise… I'm gonna get squashed to death someday…
Krillin trembled inside, tears welling up in his heart. This situation was dangerous enough just being alive. But Goku's usual airheaded, innocent demeanor made it impossible to blame him. It wouldn't be fair to hold that terrifying transformation against a guy who didn't even know what he was doing.
"Hey, speaking of… where's Bulma?" Yamcha asked, sipping fruit juice and glancing around. The purple-haired girl had vanished.
Krillin blinked. "Yeah… after dinner started, I don't think we've seen her…"
Before they could think more about it, Mrs. Briefs came over to chat. Dr. Briefs wasn't into big dinners and hadn't shown up much. Krillin and Yamcha were both caught off guard by the bold, bubbly Mrs. Briefs. Krillin managed okay, but Yamcha looked ready to pass out.
"Oh my, I do love shy little boys, they're just so cute… Shall we go on a date sometime?" Mrs. Briefs giggled behind her hand, her every word a testament to the universal truth that ditzy exteriors often hide something much more chaotic.
Meanwhile, far from the noisy dinner party, in a quiet room, Bulma was logging into the virtual Earth network.