"Got it! Thank you, Master Korin!" Son Goku waved enthusiastically at Master Korin, his face beaming with a bright smile. He turned to the newly formed Flying Nimbus beneath his feet and called out energetically, "Our new Flying Nimbus, let's go! Destination: Master Roshi's House!"
"Whoosh!"
As if it understood him, the Flying Nimbus instantly became a golden streak of light and carried Son Goku toward Master Roshi's island like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving a faint golden trail in the sky.
Master Roshi's island.
The setting sun painted the waves rose gold as they gently washed against the white sandy beach.
Inside Master Roshi's House, however, the atmosphere was heavy with grief.
Bulma had just used her Hoi-Poi Capsule technology to create a temporary coffin capsule with a refrigeration function.
Bulma and the others had carefully placed Krillin's cold, stiff body inside, preparing to preserve it for the time being.
Bulma had yet to press the capsule's sealing button, her heart heavy with sorrow, when—
A sudden change occurred!
The sky, which had been fairly bright, turned pitch-black without warning, as though someone had thrown a massive curtain over the sun!
Then, just as quickly, the light returned.
The strange phenomenon left everyone inside the house dumbfounded.
Then something even more terrifying happened!
Krillin, lying inside the capsule, suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils darted around as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep.
Looking bewildered, Krillin glanced around. Then he pushed himself up with both hands and sat up inside the coffin-like capsule all by himself. He even stretched!
"Waahhh—!"
Bulma, who had been leaning over the capsule, was scared out of her wits by the sudden spectacle and let out a piercing shriek. Her hand jerked, dropping the capsule controller, and she collapsed onto the floor, her face deathly pale.
Yamcha was terrified too. His heart nearly leaped into his throat.
Almost instinctively, Yamcha lunged forward and swung a fist.
"Leave this to me!"
Launch's gaze turned fierce. Without a word, she whipped out the machine gun she carried and unleashed a furious burst of fire at Krillin, who had just come back to life and was still dazed!
Several red, swollen bumps instantly popped up on Krillin's head.
Krillin: "..."
Clutching his head, Krillin crouched inside the capsule, on the verge of tears and utterly distraught.
Is this any way to treat someone?
I just came back to life, and before I could figure out what was going on, I got punched and then shot at with a machine gun...
What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Ah... Krillin... you... you really came back to life?" Seeing Krillin's expression of indignation and anger as he clutched his head and cried out in pain, Yamcha suddenly realized what had happened. He quickly lowered his guard and asked, looking awkward and uncertain.
"What do you think?!" Krillin rolled his eyes in exasperation. Rubbing the bumps on his head, he hopped out of the capsule and stretched his stiff limbs. He felt full of energy. He really had come back to life!
"Sorry, Krillin! I thought you were a zombie or something evil had possessed you!" Seeing that Krillin was all right, Yamcha finally relaxed completely. He let out a long sigh of relief, his face breaking into an apologetic, relieved smile as he stepped forward and patted Krillin on the shoulder.
"Ach-choo!"
Blonde Launch sneezed again, and her hair instantly turned back to its gentle blue.
Launch stared blankly at the smoking machine gun in her hands, then looked at the bumps all over Krillin's head. She scratched her head sheepishly, cheeks flushing as she murmured, "Uh... um... I... I didn't do anything too bad, did I?"
Krillin looked at blue-haired Launch, then touched the bumps on his head. All he could do was discreetly wipe away the cold sweat that wasn't actually there.
Krillin had long gotten used to Launch's split personality. Still, this welcome had been a little too enthusiastic.
"But come to think of it, Master Roshi and Tien were really fast!" Bulma got to her feet and dusted off her skirt, her face bright with surprise and admiration. "How long has it been? They gathered all the Dragon Balls so quickly and successfully wished Krillin back to life! That's wonderful!"
"Wait, isn't that strange?" Yamcha rubbed his chin, looking confused as he recalled, "I remember Master Roshi said he was going to gather the Dragon Balls and ask Shenron to destroy King Piccolo when he left. So... why did they change it to bringing Krillin back to life? Had King Piccolo already been defeated?"
Krillin: "????"
"What? What are you talking about? King Piccolo? Who's that?" Krillin looked utterly confused, his face full of question marks.
He had died early and knew nothing about what had happened afterward.
"Well, here's what happened..." Seeing his confusion, Yamcha immediately led Krillin to a nearby sofa. He cleared his throat and began explaining, in painstaking detail, everything that had happened with King Piccolo since Krillin had been killed.
"King... King Piccolo... So he really is that terrifying..." After hearing Yamcha's account, Krillin turned deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead as fear washed over him. "I... I was killed by one of his minions?"
Krillin touched his neck, as if he could still feel the fatal pressure that had choked him.
If I'd known he was so terrifying, I should've just handed the Dragon Ball over to that monster...
Why... why did I try to play the hero?
I almost never woke up again...
"By the way, where's Goku?" Krillin quickly asked.
"When Goku found out you'd been killed, he was furious. He immediately took off on the Flying Nimbus to chase after that minion named Tambourine!" Bulma shook her head gently, her expression darkening with sorrow. "But... we haven't heard a thing from him since. We can't reach him at all."
"We think... maybe... maybe King Piccolo or one of his minions killed him too..." Yamcha sighed, his voice heavy. "He'd already used up so much energy at the World Martial Arts Tournament... I'm afraid..."
The atmosphere in the room grew oppressive once more.
"But if Krillin's already been brought back to life!" Oolong suddenly interrupted, blinking his piggy eyes. "Then Goku should've come back to life too, right?"
His words were like a pebble tossed into a still lake!
Yamcha and Bulma's eyes lit up. The gloom lifted from their faces, and they suddenly realized that Oolong made a lot of sense!
"That's right! If Krillin came back to life, maybe Goku did too!" Bulma clapped excitedly, hope shining once more on her face.
"Exactly! That's got to be it!" Yamcha nodded vigorously, feeling much more at ease.
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