" You know the story of the Dragon Balls too?!"
Bulma whipped around in shock, blurting out the question before she could stop herself.
She quickly regretted it and hurriedly covered her mouth, afraid she might let slip more information and make her quest to collect the Dragon Balls even more complicated.
Son Goku was preparing the giant fish outside when he heard the commotion. He rushed into the house.
When he saw Bulma standing eagerly in front of the altar, his face tightened with alarm. In a flash, he stepped in front of her.
"Don't you dare go after Grandpa!"
Son Gohan couldn't help covering his face.
"Goku, how many times have I told you? That isn't Grandpa."
"I know, but it's the only thing Grandpa left behind!"
"And it's been flashing on and off these past two days. Grandpa must have something to tell us!"
Bulma looked at Son Goku in astonishment, then blinked and said, "Maybe... maybe it's resonating with the other balls I brought!"
She took the backpack off her shoulders and pulled out two more Dragon Balls.
"Look, I found this one in the storeroom at my house, and I picked this one up in a valley to the north."
Realizing she couldn't keep it a secret any longer, she decided to tell them everything she knew.
"The storybooks say that if you find the seven legendary Dragon Balls, they can grant all sorts of wishes!"
Her eyes were full of longing.
"What should I wish for? Maybe a perfect boyfriend!"
As Bulma spoke, she had already drifted off into her own fantasy world. For a moment, the only sound in the room was her somewhat "lecherous" laughter.
"Oh, I know about that. Summoning Shenron to make a wish is real, not just a story."
Son Gohan broke into her reverie. Remembering how she had just lost her composure, Bulma gave an awkward cough and hurriedly changed the subject.
"Really? I only came adventuring because I was so bored at home. Now I have even more reason to search!"
"Then, could I borrow this Four-Star Ball from you two, Mr. Son? I'll give it back once I'm done with it."
She gazed at the two of them hopefully, batting her eyes in an attempt to win them over with her cuteness.
Unfortunately, her charms worked about as well on Son Goku as batting her eyelashes at a blind man. His pure heart remained completely unmoved.
As for Son Gohan, he hadn't seen a pretty young woman in quite some time, but he wasn't about to lose his head over one.
He replied with some hesitation, "Well... I don't know. Like Goku said, it was Grandpa's keepsake. It means a lot to us."
"Besides, after a wish is granted, the Dragon Balls fly off on their own. We'd never be able to find our Four-Star Ball again."
He gave a regretful sigh, putting on an expression of deep sorrow.
After hearing Son Gohan's words, Son Goku looked even more worried. He quickly turned around and hugged the glowing Four-Star Ball to his chest, as if it might disappear if he let his guard down for even a moment.
"You don't need to worry. We only have three Dragon Balls so far, and we can use them to wish Grandpa back to life."
Seeing how anxious Son Goku was, Son Gohan hurried to reassure him.
There was no helping it. Saiyans were prone to being stubborn and making mistakes. Later, when Son Gohan took them up the mountain, the two of them had been fooling around when Son Goku accidentally fell into a valley and hit his head, losing his memory. After that, he became a little "simple-minded."
That might have been a top-tier talent for understanding Martial Arts, but it did leave him somewhat lacking in everyday life.
"Oh! Really?!"
Unlike the solitary Son Goku of a parallel world, this Goku had Son Gohan. He had learned early on that he had killed his grandpa by transforming into a Giant Ape, and he felt deeply guilty about it.
"That's for sure. As far as I know, Shenron is a magical creation of Kami. It's no surprise that he can bring the dead back to life!"
Son Gohan patted Son Goku on the head. He knew what Goku was thinking. He had considered bringing Grandpa Gohan back to life, but then he remembered that the old man was currently flirting on Mount Five Elements and working as the head of security for someone there.
The old man was keeping himself plenty busy, so Son Gohan had decided not to disturb his sunset romance.
"Since you two have wishes you want to make, why don't we team up and look for the Dragon Balls together?"
Bulma thought of Son Goku's monstrous skills and invited the brothers to join her.
When she saw Son Goku looking at her in confusion, she hurried to explain.
"It's fine if everyone makes a wish. I came up with a Dragon Radar while I was bored. It can track the magnetic signals given off by the Dragon Balls!"
To prove it, Bulma rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a small disc.
Son Goku and Son Gohan leaned in to look at the mechanical dial in her hand.
"See? These three dots clustered together are the three Dragon Balls we have. The other four are over here, here, and here!"
As she moved her finger, Son Gohan took in each of the glowing points.
"It really works! Whoa!" Son Goku exclaimed in amazement.
"Then let's set out right now!"
Now that he knew the Dragon Balls could bring his grandpa back to life, he was eager to get going.
Watching Goku's sudden excitement, Son Gohan scratched his head awkwardly.
"I mean, no matter how eager you are, shouldn't we fill our stomachs before we hit the road?"
"Grrr..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Son Goku's stomach rumbled.
"Ah, haha! Then let's eat first!"
He had gotten so excited that he'd forgotten his stomach was empty. Son Goku laughed cheerfully.
"You really are thoughtless. You just jump from one thing to the next!"
Son Gohan grumbled, but still put the ingredients Son Goku had prepared onto the grill.
For years, Goku had hunted while he did the cooking. Thanks to the skills he'd brought with him from his past life, along with a few years of practice, his meals weren't bad at all.
The two brothers had enormous appetites. They could polish off all the giant beasts they'd hunted that day in a single meal, so cooking had become hard work.
After everyone finished dinner and packed their things, they got ready to leave.
They ran into a bit of a problem when it came to choosing a vehicle.
"I'm sorry, but I only have one motorcycle. There's no way it can carry all of us."
Bulma looked troubled as she pulled a motorcycle out of a Hoi-Poi Capsule.
"There's no time to explain! Get on!"
Son Gohan looked at the motorcycle's rugged design and couldn't hold back any longer. He tossed his bundle onto Son Goku, then swung a leg over the front of the bike.
"Goku needs to train, so he can run alongside us. You can sit behind me!"
Bulma stared at him, then at the short Son Goku. Something about this didn't seem quite right.
"Okay! Let's go, then. I won't lose to this iron monster!"
Son Goku spread his arms, slung the Ruyi Staff across his back, picked up both their bundles, and crouched before springing forward.
"Then let's go! Dragon Ball Squad!"
Bulma cheered excitedly as she hopped onto the motorcycle.
"Go, go, go!"
Before you continue