Come Forth, Shenron!

"Master Roshi..." Tien Shinhan blinked all three eyes, struggling to focus. He gave Master Roshi, who stood beside the Dragon Balls, a weak greeting, his body still swaying a little.

"I'm sorry, Tien." Looking at Tien's condition, Master Roshi wore an even more sheepish grin. He rubbed his hands together and explained, "I had no choice back there. It was an emergency. After all... if something had happened to me... I thought... I thought the responsibility of dealing with King Piccolo and protecting Earth in the future might fall on your shoulders."

Master Roshi spoke with great solemnity, as if entrusting Tien with his final wishes.

Tien Shinhan: "????"

All three of Tien's eyes widened, and countless question marks seemed to pop up above his head.

What did you mean by "I thought"?

I'm getting more confused the more I listen.

Hadn't you already killed King Piccolo?

Why were you talking as though you'd almost sacrificed yourself?

"Luckily, everything's all right now. It was a false alarm, and we've gathered all the Dragon Balls." Master Roshi seemed unwilling to dwell on the matter. He quickly pointed to the seven Dragon Balls on the ground, glowing faintly, and changed the subject.

"King Piccolo... is he really dead for good? You're sure he won't come back to life or have some kind of clone?" Tien still wasn't entirely reassured. Mustering his strength, he asked again with a serious expression.

"He's completely dead. Even his body exploded. You can rest easy." Master Roshi nodded emphatically, his tone certain. He also gestured with his eyes toward the smoking crater in the distance.

"That's good... Then I can... relax..." Hearing Master Roshi's firm reply, Tien's taut nerves finally relaxed completely.

But the dizziness that came with the sudden release, combined with the lingering effects of the knockout drug in his system, made the world spin around him.

Thud!

Before he could finish speaking, Tien's vision went black and his body went limp. He toppled to the ground and passed out again, utterly gracelessly.

"It's great being young. You can just drop off to sleep. I'm jealous." Looking at Tien, who had fallen asleep in an instant, Master Roshi stroked his beard and sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Chiaotzu: "..."

Chiaotzu floated nearby, looking at his Brother Tian, who had passed out again, then at Master Roshi, who wore a benevolent expression as he sighed. He was speechless, with a thousand complaints stuck in his throat.

Master Roshi... wasn't the real reason Brother Tian could drop off to sleep that you sprayed him with a powerful knockout drug?!

What did that have to do with being young?!

Wasn't that a completely misplaced thing to say?!

"All right. Let's make a wish to Shenron first and bring Goku and Krillin back to life." Master Roshi's smile faded, and his expression turned serious as he proposed this to Broly and Chiaotzu.

"O-Okay." Chiaotzu nodded quickly, then glanced cautiously at Broly, who had started looking around in boredom again. He instinctively edged away, quietly putting what he thought was a safe distance between them.

This person... looked harmless and easygoing.

Sometimes he even seemed a little out of it...

But when he struck, he was unbelievably fierce!

He'd wiped out King Piccolo with the ease of crushing an ant.

He'd even used King Piccolo's corpse as a weapon to smash a spaceship away without batting an eye...

Y-You're the real demon, aren't you?!

"Hey, old man!" Broly seemed to remember something. He turned and asked casually, breaking the somewhat solemn mood. "I thought Shenron could only grant one wish. There are two people who need to be brought back to life, so who gets revived first? Should we flip a coin?"

"We could try wishing for everyone killed by King Piccolo and his underlings to be brought back to life, excluding the bad guys." Master Roshi rested his hand beneath his chin and pondered for a moment. He seemed to have considered this already, and slowly shared his idea.

"Can we do that? Bring them all back at once?" Broly looked slightly surprised.

"Let's try. It's better than bringing back only one." Master Roshi sighed, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If that wish doesn't work, then we'll have to wait a year and bring back either Goku or Krillin."

With that, Master Roshi didn't hesitate any longer. He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and faced the seven Dragon Balls gathered on the ground. His expression solemn, he called loudly and clearly to the sky, "Come forth, Shenron! Grant our wish!"

Snap!

At Master Roshi's summons, the seven Dragon Balls seemed to spring to life, suddenly shining with dazzling golden light!

The light was like seven tiny suns, illuminating the dark surroundings as bright as day!

In the blink of an eye, the sky, which had still held a hint of twilight, was engulfed in deep, inky darkness, as though someone had thrown a vast black cloth over the heavens!

Next, the golden flames shining from the seven Dragon Balls converged into a thick pillar of light and shot into the sky, brilliant and sacred against the pitch-black night!

Snap!

High above, the golden pillar of light suddenly changed shape and expanded, transforming into a colossal, lifelike azure dragon!

Shenron coiled through the night sky, his massive body occupying nearly half of it. His red eyes were like two enormous searchlights, gazing down at the earth and radiating unparalleled majesty.

His tail remained connected to the seven Dragon Balls below, the source of his power.

"O one who has gathered the Dragon Balls, speak your wish!" Shenron's deep, vast voice, as if from some ancient primordial age, rang out across the boundless night sky, reaching everyone on the ground. "I can grant any one wish."

"Is Goku still alive?"

At this solemn moment, Broly seemed to suddenly think of an unrelated question. He tilted his head and casually asked Shenron.

Master Roshi froze and whipped around to look at Broly, astonishment and exasperation on his old face. He nearly choked.

That boy!

Why was he asking that at such a crucial moment?!

"Is that your wish?" Shenron's enormous red eyes turned toward Broly. His voice remained majestic and utterly emotionless.

"No, no! Of course not!" Master Roshi panicked, afraid Shenron might misunderstand. He hurriedly waved both hands and shook his head like a rattle drum, denying it again and again.

"I was just asking. Don't mind me." Broly gave Shenron an innocent smile and waved a hand, telling him to go on.