Seven Dragon Balls

The scorching sun hung high, a blazing furnace that baked the earth with a desperate, suffocating heat.

There was not a drop of moisture in the atmosphere, and even the wind that blew past carried an indescribable, searing intensity.

This was a desert in the tropical zone, where traces of modernity had long since vanished. Compared to West City, this place felt as if it were still in an uncivilized state; everyone was wrapped in gauze, shielding their skin completely, and only those hiding in the shade dared to expose their flesh.

Sweat dripped incessantly from her cheeks. Tights leaned on a wooden staff, panting as she followed behind. She glanced at the fiery sun in the sky, and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.

"I can't do it anymore, I can't walk another step." With a delicate cry, Tights collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. The veil shielding her face slipped, revealing a sweet, pretty face.

"You were the one who insisted on coming along."

Roland stopped and helped Tights to a cool corner. A breeze blew by, bringing a hint of relief. He gulped down some cool water and poured the rest over his head. Tights let out a soft "Eeya," regaining a bit of her spirit. "Do you think everyone is a monster as strong as you? Your sister is just a girl, you know."

"Too weak. Saiyan women aren't as delicate as you." Roland handed her a fan.

Tights shot him an annoyed glare, took the fan, and began waving it frantically, wiping the sweat from her cheeks and worrying that the sun would damage her skin.

"How much further until the next Dragon Ball?"

"About three kilometers." Roland took out the Dragon Radar and checked it. He made a rough estimate; there were five bright dots at the center of the radar, and another signal was flashing three kilometers away.

"That far? I can't handle that."

"I'll go retrieve the Dragon Ball myself," Roland said.

Tights shook her head immediately. "No way. We agreed to travel together, how can you leave me behind? Besides, this is a challenge, and I will try my best to overcome it."

Watching Tights stumble along, feigning strength, Roland found it amusing, but he didn't want to crush her confidence.

"Fine. We'll go look for the Dragon Ball when evening comes." Roland glanced at the vicious sun and said calmly.

Tights tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Roland shook his head and pulled a small cabin out of a Hoi-Poi Capsule on a flat patch of ground. "Go inside and cool off."

"Hee hee." The young girl giggled softly. Once inside, she ran straight for the bathroom, enjoyed a refreshing cold shower, and emerged in light clothing. She dumped the five Dragon Balls from her backpack onto the table and began to fiddle with them.

Clink, clink, clatter. The five orange-red spheres rolled together, emitting a golden glow upon contact, accompanied by a low, humming vibration.

These five Dragon Balls were the fruits of their labor over the past few days.

Two weeks ago, Roland and Tights began their search for the Dragon Balls. Their first stop was Master Roshi's house, located off the eastern sea, where the master resided.

Master Roshi was known as the "God of Martial Arts." Although he was an experienced grandmaster, he was also a natural lecher. In the original story, Bulma had even gone so far as to lift her skirt to seduce him just to get his Dragon Ball. With Roland accompanying her this time, he naturally wouldn't let Master Roshi take advantage of the situation. Upon landing on the island, he went straight to the master, who was cooling off under a large tree, and without a word, delivered a hand-chop to the old man's neck. The old man didn't even realize what was happening before Roland knocked him unconscious.

By the time he woke up, Roland had already made off with his Three-Star Ball. Feeling the pain in his neck, Master Roshi assumed he had just slept in an awkward position and had no idea what had actually occurred.

It wasn't until evening that Master Roshi discovered the crystal ball that usually hung around his neck was gone, leaving only a piece of hemp rope dangling there.

Roland, having successfully obtained the Dragon Ball from Master Roshi, continued his journey with Tights. The two traveled across the world, sometimes driving a jeep, other times sailing on a yacht...

In just two short weeks, they had collected five Dragon Balls, and the sixth was now within reach.

Because of Roland's involvement, the journey had been smooth and without danger. Every enemy they encountered was dispatched by Roland in a single blow. This allowed Tights to truly experience the charm of martial arts, and for a time, her creative inspiration flowed, her imagination running wild as she diligently recorded every experience to use as material for her future works.

By evening, the sky began to darken. The sun's afterglow vanished below the horizon, leaving only a fire-like red at the edge of the sky, which contrasted with the gray-blue night falling in the distance.

As the sun set, the vicious heat subsided. Tights was finally able to step outside without her veil. The two followed the Dragon Radar's signal to a mudflat three kilometers away. The area was filled with shifting sands and devoid of vegetation. The exposed rocks had weathered under years of wind and sand, their surfaces covered in fine cracks that would crumble at the slightest touch.

"According to the radar, the sixth Dragon Ball is right around here, but it's all yellow sand. Could the Dragon Ball be buried underground?" Tights shielded her eyes with her hands and peered into the distance, seeing only a desolate landscape.

Roland glanced at the Dragon Radar and switched it to 3D mode. The display changed, quickly showing the Dragon Ball's position relative to the surface: about five meters underground.

"Find somewhere to hide." As his body began to hover, Roland condensed a deep blue energy sphere in his palm.

Seeing this, Tights quickly ran toward a protruding rock ledge in the distance and hid carefully. Having had similar experiences, Tights knew the power of an energy blast; a single small sphere like that was enough to level a mountain.

"I'm hidden! You can start!" Tights gripped the rocks of the ledge tightly and shouted to Roland.

Roland's calm gaze fixed on the sand below. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he tossed the ping-pong-sized energy sphere toward the ground. With a deafening boom, it struck with the force of a missile. Yellow sand sprayed into the air, and a rolling shockwave expanded in all directions. Amidst the swirling dust, a fist-sized glass sphere shimmered with light as it was blasted out of the sand.

Found it!

A flash of light crossed his eyes, and Roland moved with lightning speed, catching the flying Dragon Ball in his hand.

"The One-Star Ball!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Roland's face as he handed the Dragon Ball to Tights for safekeeping.

Tights held the Dragon Ball excitedly, unable to put it down as if it were a beloved treasure. Now, only one Dragon Ball remained.

A few days later, two hundred kilometers from where they found the sixth Dragon Ball, in a lush thicket of bushes, Roland found the final Dragon Ball.

He placed all seven Dragon Balls on the ground. As soon as they touched, they began to glow with a golden light, each pulse emitting a faint, humming sound reminiscent of Shenron.

"Hum, hum, hum!"

The seven Dragon Balls flickered in a rhythmic, synchronized pattern.