Descending the Mountain

The three soon arrived at the house on Mount Paozu.

Bulma, munching on grilled meat, explained, "I found this thing at home."

"So I did all kinds of research, dug up old records from way back, and finally uncovered the secret of these beads."

"They're called Dragon Balls. There are seven in total, marked with one to seven stars."

"No matter how you look at them, the number of stars is the same."

Wukong blinked curiously and asked, "But why are you looking for these beads? You wanna make prayer beads and become a monk?"

"What are you talking about? A gorgeous girl like me becoming a monk? At the very least, I'd be a nun..."

Son Goku asked again, "So, you're gonna be a nun?"

"How could that be?"

Thrown off by Wukong, Bulma pouted and explained, "The book says that if you gather all seven Dragon Balls, you can summon Shenron and make one wish come true."

"Make a wish?" Wukong asked.

Bulma nodded.

"Yeah, but over the long years, the Dragon Balls have scattered all over the world."

"I've been preparing for ages, and finally managed to get out during summer break to collect them."

Son Gohan said in surprise, "I never thought these beads had such power. Truly amazing."

Bulma smiled. "Right? I've only heard about it, never seen it myself..."

Son Gohan asked, "So, what's your wish?"

Bulma shyly covered her cheeks with both hands.

"Originally, I had my wish all figured out. I wanted a perfect boyfriend, but..."

As she spoke, Bulma's eyes glanced tenderly toward Sun Mo, the meaning clear without words.

Son Gohan caught on.

"I see!"

He looked at Sun Mo and chuckled. "Heh heh, Sun Mo, you're really lucky."

"You've got a girlfriend before even leaving the mountain, and she's this cute. Congratulations!"

Sun Mo curled his lip and said, "Grandpa, I haven't agreed to it yet..."

With that, he took a big bite of grilled bear meat on his own.

Son Gohan was a bit surprised, and even more anxious.

"A girl this pretty is offering to be your girlfriend, and you still won't say yes?"

"Didn't I teach you to be gentle with girls, to cherish them?"

Sun Mo swallowed his food and said, "Grandpa, you don't get it."

"She's way too lovesick. I don't want a girlfriend who's that flighty, someone anyone could see right through..."

Bulma immediately vowed, "You have to believe me, I'm really not a flighty woman!"

"Sure, as a girl, I've always dreamed of having a perfect boyfriend."

"But I swear, once I have a boyfriend, I'll be completely faithful to him."

"If this were ancient times, I think I'd be a paragon of chastity..."

Hearing Bulma's declaration, Son Gohan couldn't help but sigh. "What a good girl. Sun Mo, you need to cherish her!"

Though the later Bulma was mature and steady, loyal in love, Sun Mo knew exactly how lovesick she was now.

He still dismissed her words.

"Oh, really?"

"Then if I'm your boyfriend, you can give up looking for the Dragon Balls, right?"

Bulma lit up with joy. "Really?"

"As long as you agree to be my boyfriend, I'll stop looking for the Dragon Balls. You'll come back to West City with me?"

Sun Mo thought it over and shook his head again.

"Still no..."

Bulma was stunned. "Why? What did I do wrong?"

Sun Mo explained, "It's not you. It's that my training has only just begun."

"I haven't entered the World Martial Arts Tournament yet, nor climbed Korin Tower..."

"I have my own plans. I need to finish my training first."

Bulma asked, "Don't you want me to build you a Gravity Chamber to train in?"

"Don't worry, I'll ask my dad for help. He can definitely build it."

"Once you're my boyfriend, I'll make sure you get a Gravity Chamber."

"After you're with me, you can train in my backyard."

Sun Mo said, "You don't get it. Training isn't as simple as you think."

"Sure, a Gravity Chamber can boost strength fast, but that kind of monotonous weight training gets old after a while."

"To really grow stronger, you need to broaden your horizons."

"Only by opening your mind, facing different opponents, and taking on tougher challenges can you reach a higher level."

Sun Mo laid out his understanding of martial arts. Bulma was on a completely different wavelength, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Son Gohan, however, heard Sun Mo's words and broke into a satisfied smile.

"Not bad—after all these years training with me, you've gained such a deep insight into martial arts. Excellent!"

"You two have trained with me on the mountain for so long that your skills are already solid. What you lack now is experience out in the world."

"You need to see more of this world to reach a higher realm."

Gohan looked at Goku and Sun Mo and said, "To be honest, there's not much left I can teach you now."

"So why don't you go down the mountain with this lovely young lady and search for the Dragon Balls?"

"Protect her along the way, broaden your horizons, and maybe you'll run into someone even stronger!"

Goku perked up. "Grandpa, are there really strong people out there?"

Son Gohan nodded. "Of course, Goku."

"The world has always been like this—there's always someone stronger, always a sky beyond the sky!"

Son Goku got excited at once. "That's great!"

He turned to Bulma, his voice brimming with energy. "Bulma, I've decided—I'll go with you to find the Dragon Balls!"

Bulma glanced at Goku. She knew he was impervious to blades and bullets, but with Sun Mo around, she didn't really care whether this kid tagged along as protection.

She looked at Sun Mo.

"What about you?"

Meeting Bulma's expectant gaze, Sun Mo said, "I'll go with you too!"

Bulma's eyes lit up with joy.

"Does that mean you're agreeing to be my boyfriend? Worried about my safety, so you want to protect me?"

Sun Mo replied, "You're pretty boy-crazy, but I think deep down you're a good girl. I figure we can give it a try for a while!"

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Bulma immediately sidled up to Sun Mo with a lecherous grin, pressing herself against him.

Sun Mo straightened up. "Hey, Bulma, watch it. Don't be like that. I told you I don't like frivolous women..."

Bulma smiled slyly. "You've never been in a relationship either, have you?"

"Let me tell you, this is how boyfriends and girlfriends act. Don't be so uptight..."

Sun Mo gently pushed her away. "Don't rub against me while you're eating. It's sticky and uncomfortable..."

"Let's get back to what we were talking about—finding the Dragon Balls or the Gravity Chamber."

Gohan chuckled. "Ah, youth is wonderful, heh heh..."

Bulma had been so overjoyed she'd lost all restraint.

Now, realizing there were others around, her face flushed red, and she stepped back from Sun Mo.

She smoothed her hair and said, "Sorry, this is my first time having a boyfriend. I got too excited and lost my composure..."

"It's fine, I understand..." Son Gohan said with a smile.

After the meal, Gohan packed up luggage for Goku and Sun Mo and stored it in one of Bulma's capsules.

Bulma drove her small car, with Goku and Sun Mo in the back seat, and the three of them left Mount Paozu.

Before long, the sky began to darken.

Bulma said, "It's getting dark. Let's stop here for today."

Goku looked around—nothing but endless wilderness.

He asked, a little worried, "Are we sleeping on the ground tonight? Won't there be a lot of mosquitoes?"

Just then, Bulma tossed out a Hoi-Poi Capsule.

A house popped into existence.

Son Goku was stunned. "Whoa, you're saying you're not a monster? That sure looks like sorcery to me!"

Bulma curled her lip. "You don't even know what a Hoi-Poi Capsule is? What a hick!"

"Tonight, Sun Mo and I will sleep in the house. You can stay outside..."