Dragon Ball

"Right, this is the one."

Son Gohan's aged voice said, "I found it in a valley a few years ago. It looked pretty, so I kept it with me. Since it's what you're looking for, I'll give it to you."

"Thank you, sir!" Roland's attitude warmed at once as he casually took the Dragon Ball. The old man was actually quite kind.

The Dragon Balls were divine treasures created by Kami. Thanks to the principle of refraction, the red stars inside them could be seen from any angle. Once all seven had been collected, they could summon Shenron and grant a wish that did not exceed Kami's authority. Although Earth's Dragon Balls couldn't compare in power to the Dragon Balls of Planet Namek or the universe-spanning Super Dragon Balls, they were still extremely precious to Roland right now.

"No need to thank me!" Son Gohan chuckled, then suddenly gave a surprised exclamation. His gaze at Roland turned curious. "Young man, you seem to possess an exceptionally fearsome power."

"You can tell?" Roland looked at Son Gohan.

Apart from their refined techniques, Roland had never thought much of the martial artists on Earth. Among them, Son Gohan was quite capable, but only passable. Earthlings' physiques were their greatest weakness. Even Son Gohan could only unleash a few Ki Blasts, and because they took so long to charge, they weren't useful in actual combat.

So in this low-level "low-martial" environment, hand-to-hand combat was far more efficient than Ki Blasts. Using Ki Blasts in a real fight was actually less effective, which was the exact opposite of the norm in the wider universe.

With Son Gohan's current strength, he couldn't sense other people's energy. That required special training at Kami's Lookout, or a power level above 200 to manage even barely. But by observing Roland from close range, Son Gohan could still sense, to some degree, how terrifying he was.

"Forgive me!" Son Gohan suddenly stepped forward and threw a probing punch. He was fast, and a fierce gust of wind swept toward Roland.

But to Roland's eyes, it all seemed as slow as a snail, and the force behind it was weak and feeble.

A flash of brilliance suddenly gleamed in his eyes. His small hand shot out and stopped Son Gohan's fist.

Thud! The attack came to an abrupt halt. A force rebounded, sending Son Gohan flying backward more than ten meters. His heels scraped the ground, carving two deep furrows.

"Incredible. Even Master Mutaito couldn't knock me back with a single move. What a terrifying kid!" Son Gohan was astonished. The child before him looked only five years old, yet his body held extraordinary power.

"You're no match for me."

The child's young voice rang in his ears. After hearing it, Son Gohan gazed deeply at Roland and sighed.

"Incredible. I don't know who you are, but you possess such terrifying strength."

Tights finally recovered from her initial shock and jumped in to show off. "Roland's a Saiyan. They've always lived in seclusion."

"Saiyans?" Son Gohan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "It seems I've been ignorant. I'd never heard of the Saiyans as a tribe. Remarkable. I don't think even Master Mutaito would be a match for you."

Master Roshi, that old lecher, was obviously no match for me... Roland wore a proud expression. And Tights was something else—she really thought Saiyans were just some obscure ethnic group on Earth.

After getting the Four-Star Ball, Roland didn't linger. He said his farewells, then dragged a reluctant Tights away from Mount Paozu.

Tights was excited the whole way. She'd finally seen martial artists fight each other. Though it had lasted only one move, the two deep furrows carved by their feet showed her a hidden side of the world. She felt as if she'd stepped through the entrance to a whole new world.

"Roland, what do you need this strange ball for?"

On the way back, Tights held the Dragon Ball up to her eyes and examined it. Strangely, its four stars looked the same from every angle.

"This thing is called a Dragon Ball. It's a divine treasure made by Kami."

"Are there really gods in this world? Tell me more..." Tights's interest was piqued again.

As Roland slashed through the brambles beside the path, he said, "Kami exists. He's not all that remarkable, though. To the north, at Korin's Sacred Land, there's a tower called Korin Tower. The Martial Arts Immortal—Korin—lives at the top..." Tights hurriedly cut in, "I've heard of that! The legend says that if you climb Korin Tower with your bare hands, you can meet the Immortal at the top and receive his guidance. Is that really more than a fairy tale?"

"Don't interrupt me!" Roland glared at her, and Tights obediently fell silent.

Roland continued, "Korin really exists. In fact, there's an even vaster space above Korin Tower. There's a temple there, where Earth's Kami lives."

Huh, Kami really existed! Tights wanted to interrupt Roland again, but remembering what had happened before, she quickly covered her mouth.

Taking the Dragon Ball from Tights, Roland held it up to the sunlight. "These Dragon Balls were made by Kami. There are seven in all. If you collect the seven Dragon Balls scattered around the world, you can summon Shenron. Shenron can grant the person who summoned him one wish. The last person to collect the Dragon Balls eventually became king—that was more than a hundred years ago."

"That's incredible! Then let's go find the Dragon Balls."

Wasn't this exactly the sort of thing that would broaden her horizons? Tights figured that if she put all these elements into a novel, it would be a huge hit.

"To find the Dragon Balls, we'll need a Dragon Radar."

"I can ask my father to make one. He invented the Hoi-Poi Capsule technology, so building a radar should be easy." Tights introduced herself, revealing her family's identity.

That was exactly what he'd been waiting for. Roland grinned, pretended to hesitate, then reluctantly agreed to go with Tights to West City and meet her father, Dr. Brief.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tights pointed down the mountain road and cried out enthusiastically, brimming with energy.

"Yeah, let's go!"

A faint smile played on Roland's face. With Tights to persuade him, Dr. Brief would most likely help make the Dragon Radar. The two of them rode off on the motorcycle, leaving Mount Paozu behind. When they passed through a small town, Tights asked to stop at a store and buy a few changes of clothes.

She'd had only one outfit all this time, so every night she'd had to sleep wrapped in a bath towel. The hardship of such a life had been truly trying.

Roland actually liked living this way. After all, every night he got to lie beside a beautiful woman.

But faced with Tights's request, he couldn't really say no. He watched as she swept through the mall like a gale, grabbing clothes of every style and tossing them into the shopping cart: skirts, shirts, underwear, jeans... Tch, that woman had money. Could she even wear all that?

Tights's answer was: "Better to have it and not need it."