Bulma Ascends the Mountain

The woman collapsed in terror, then realized she'd been saved and clutched her child tightly, trembling as tears fell.

The truck driver scrambled out of the cab, his face whiter than paper.

But when he saw that Sun Mo, the woman, and the child were all unharmed, it was as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from him.

The next moment, though, he realized it was this little brat who'd stopped the truck.

He stared as if he'd seen a monster, his expression utterly priceless.

Son Gohan saw Sun Mo was fine and rushed over, relieved.

With a hint of reproach, he said, "Sun Mo, you... why did you have to brace against the truck? That was too dangerous!"

Son Goku added, "Yeah, Sun Mo, you're so dumb. Couldn't you just carry the person away?"

Son Gohan agreed, "Right, Wukong's right.

Saving the person is the best solution. Don't take such risks next time!"

Best solution?

Sun Mo looked up at the towering truck, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

In my past life, I let you win!

But in this life, I'm no ordinary man—I'm a Saiyan who'll one day shatter planets with a punch!

Why should I dodge?

You're the one who should back off!

In his past life, he'd been crushed by this hunk of iron. In this life...

He'd won decisively!

A surge of exhilaration welled up inside him.

In that instant, he felt that all these years of training had finally found their meaning.

But when he went to pick up the milk he was supposed to deliver, he found the bottles shattered, milk spilled all over the ground.

"Ah, my milk!"

His training task for the day was just one step short of completion.

Was this where it ended today?

Sun Mo turned to look at the mother and daughter and the driver, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"This is all your fault. Pay me back for my milk!"

The driver and the woman were struck speechless.

A few bottles of milk weren't worth much.

Gohan tried to brush it off, but Sun Mo still took the money they paid in compensation.

Otherwise, when he got home, he'd brood over it.

Brooding over an unfinished task would damage his resolve.

Young as he was, he had strong principles.

Saving people was fine, but it couldn't derail his own business.

If it did, he had to be compensated.

Just like delivering milk—the depot paid him for his work. That was only fair.

In the days that followed, the milk deliveries continued.

By day, they wove through every corner of the city, neither of them having time to take in the sights.

Come nightfall, with no Capsule House, they had to rush back up the mountain to sleep.

Both were bursting with energy normally, but they were so exhausted they'd crash the moment they got home.

A few days later, Son Gohan had earned some money and finally made new clothes for both of them.

After that, with no more financial worries, Gohan loosened up on the training regimen.

He had them work as laborers, carry bricks, tie themselves near trees to dodge hornets, and escape from shark jaws—putting them through every kind of trial.

Son Gohan felt that training these two was going far smoother than it had with him and the Ox-King back in the day.

These kids were nothing like others—they were incredibly eager whenever it was time to train.

They never complained about the fatigue; they were just pure addicts.

Aside from weighted training, the process was almost a direct copy of Master Roshi's methods.

Midway through the training, Sun Mo suddenly sensed something off.

It wasn't the training being tiring—it was that he realized he was training alongside Krillin and Wukong, taking Krillin's place.

Wasn't it whoever was weaker that got sacrificed in the future?

At that thought, Sun Mo pushed himself even harder.

However, seeing Sun Mo working hard, Wukong, equally competitive, refused to fall behind.

This led to both of them pushing each other harder, and every time they finished a task, it was always neck and neck.

Competition breeds progress.

Sun Mo was confident he had a bit more brains than Wukong and his own unique insights into training—he wouldn't lose to him.

As training continued, both adapted to the cultivation life.

But Gohan didn't add any weights to them.

They were still young, with a long road ahead.

Starting weighted training too early, stunting their height, would make them unpopular with girls.

Time flowed like water, and another four years passed in the blink of an eye.

Wukong hadn't changed much, but Sun Mo had hit a growth spurt early, now as tall as an adult.

His face was sunny and handsome, and with years of training, his physique was tall and sturdy—a real bright, handsome young man.

Ever since the height gap between Wukong and Sun Mo widened, Wukong had gotten used to looking up at him.

He'd asked his grandpa why he wasn't growing yet.

Gohan was also puzzled—Sun Mo shooting up that much in a year wasn't normal.

But Sun Mo knew that's just how Saiyans were; maturing and growing a foot in a year was normal.

He reassured Wukong that he was just a slow grower and would catch up in a few years.

That put Wukong at ease.

He was fiercely competitive and hated being inferior to Sun Mo, even in height...

That day, Bulma finally arrived near Mount Paozu with the Dragon Radar.

She glanced at the radar, then west at Mount Paozu.

Neatly arranged fields and a winding mountain path pointed her the way.

"A bit further west!"

"With all this crops, someone must live up there."

Putting away the radar, Bulma stepped on the gas and drove toward the mountain.

"One more Dragon Ball and I'll have three—so exciting!"

"Once I gather them all, I'll wish for Shenron to send me a handsome boyfriend!"

Driving along, Bulma fantasized about her future wish, nearly drooling.

But just as she got distracted, a short kid suddenly appeared in front of the car.

"Whoa!"

Bulma screamed, yanking the wheel and stomping the brake.

The next moment, the car stopped.

Bulma opened her eyes.

The car hadn't stopped because of her braking.

Ahead, a little kid with a big grin was holding the front of her car up with both hands.

Stopped by a brat.

What kind of brat could stop a car?

Bulma screamed again.

"Whoa—monster!"

As she spoke, she grabbed her pistol, leaned out the window, and fired at Wukong.

"Biu! Biu! Biu!"

Wincing in pain, Wukong dropped the car front, covering his head as he stumbled back a few steps.

"Ow!"

"That hurts!"

Then he dropped into a fighting stance.

"What kind of sorcery is that?"

Bulma stared in shock at the smoking gun barrel, then at Son Goku.

Panicked, she said, "Ah, I hit you for sure—how are you not dead?"

Son Goku shot back, "Are you kidding?

I'm this tough—how could I die that easily?"

With that, Goku pulled out the Power Pole and pointed it at Bulma.

"Monster, don't think I'll let you off just because you're a girl!

Dare to hit me with your demon magic? Let's see how I deal with you!"

Just then, Sun Mo's voice came from afar.

"Goku, stop!"

Goku kept his stance, wary of Bulma firing again.

But he glanced toward Sun Mo and said, "Sun Mo, don't bother me.

She's a monster, my enemy..."

Sun Mo immediately snorted. "Hmph, what enemy? She's just a girl."

"You don't get it. She knows demon magic—my head still hurts!"

As he spoke, Goku rubbed the bullet mark on his head.

Sun Mo was speechless. "Idiot, that's not demon magic, it's a gun..."

While the two were still talking, Bulma's eyes lit up the moment she saw Sun Mo.

The car door was shoved open, and Bulma practically "sprang" out of the vehicle.

Her hands were clasped together against her chest, and she introduced herself with eager anticipation:

"Hey handsome, I'm Bulma. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sun Mo looked at Bulma, a little taken aback.

He was used to the steady, reliable Bulma of the later years and had almost forgotten this boy-crazy younger Bulma.

Bulma noticed Sun Mo sizing her up and immediately thrust out her proud chest.

"Forgot to mention—I'm the second daughter of Capsule Corp, and I've got a perfect 98-56-88 figure!"