Setting Off Again

She hadn't even come close, but her voice had already carried over from afar. She was clearly furious.

"What happened, Bulma?"

Son Goku turned back, puzzled.

"How can someone behave like that? The old woman went to so much trouble to find her granddaughter, but the girl refuses to leave, just so she can stay here and live comfortably!"

"She said a lot of hurtful things, too. The old woman even started crying!"

Bulma had grown up in a wealthy, loving family, and she simply couldn't understand why a girl named Buya would make that choice.

"Even if her life is better now, Oolong kidnapped her by force in the first place!"

"It's all right, Bulma. Whatever they choose is up to them. We just have to respect their decision."

Son Goku tried to comfort her again. Bulma could only nod in agreement, but once she'd calmed down, she suddenly noticed something strange.

"Hey, Goku, how come you're so smart today? You don't sound like a brat at all!"

Bulma found this quite remarkable. It had only been a short while since she'd last seen him, yet the kid was already spouting such philosophical words. It was truly surprising.

"You're the brat, you rotten Bulma!"

Son Gohan, standing nearby, wasn't pleased to hear that!

Wasn't that just like insulting a bald man in front of a monk?

"Hey, Wuneng, why do you sound so much like Goku, while Goku sounds so much like you?"

Bulma looked from one to the other, utterly confused. Something about them seemed off!

"BOOM!" A puff of smoke flashed, and an indignant Son Goku appeared right in front of her.

"Rotten Bulma! Huh?! The transformation wore off!"

Son Goku was baffled.

Son Gohan silently sensed the faint energy still remaining inside him, felt it slowly draining away, and calculated the rate.

"It looks like Goku temporarily ran out of energy, so he had to change back."

"It's been about ten minutes since it started."

"I still have more than half of my energy left."

"Change back!"

After thinking it over, Son Gohan ended his transformation of his own accord.

Since this was his first time practicing the technique and transforming, only his appearance, build, and voice had changed. Inside, he was still himself.

"I'll need a lot more practice. Otherwise, it'll be hard to use in a real fight!"

"But it could come in handy for flirting!"

Thinking this, Son Gohan quietly glanced at Bulma.

Bulma was playing around with Son Goku, clearly surprised that the brothers had learned how to transform, too.

"Hey, Bulma, we've taken care of things here. Let's go back and ask them what they've decided, then get ready to hit the road!"

They went back into the hall, where Son Gohan asked the old woman and her granddaughter what they'd finally decided.

As expected, the old woman chose to stay with her granddaughter. Having been alone for so long, she simply couldn't bear to leave her.

Besides, with her life experience, she could probably guess that if she returned to the village by herself, things wouldn't go well for her there.

"Hey, Oolong, whatever else happens, you'd better take good care of the old woman, got it? Otherwise, once we've found the Dragon Balls and come back, I'll make Wuneng deal with you!"

With their departure drawing near, Bulma could only make one last effort for the old woman. After all, the Six-star Ball had been given to them, and they hadn't fulfilled the old woman's request perfectly.

"Don't worry! I'll take good care of Grandma and Buya!"

Seeing Son Gohan look his way, Pig-headed Oolong hurriedly made a respectful promise, assuring them with every word that he had no ulterior motives!

"Then goodbye, Grandma!"

After saying goodbye to everyone again, they set off to find the sixth Dragon Ball!

That day, the sky was growing dark, the vegetation in the distance was thinning out, and the temperature had risen noticeably. The group, now back to three people and one dragon, decided to make camp.

"Hey, Wuneng, according to the map, we're about to reach the Evil Desert. We'll need to prepare enough water first."

It went without saying that crossing this vast desert without water would be difficult.

"Right. We'll rest nearby and stock up on water. With Ribut carrying us, we should be able to cross it in about ten days."

After giving them a pep talk, Son Gohan began thinking about the Yamcha they were about to encounter.

I'd better turn that guy into a pig-headed mess as soon as we meet, then beat him into submission.

This time, even if Goku went hungry, they wouldn't lose.

Since Ribut had been carrying them on their journey, Bulma hadn't lost her tool kit. Once they'd eaten their fill and gotten enough sleep, everyone returned to their own rooms.

Some sat in meditation to practice, while others immersed themselves in Sumari's love story.

Afterward, everyone gathered outside again for a chat.

"Goku, do you want a wife?"

"Just say the word, and I'll find you one!"

Thinking of Chichi at Fried Bread Mountain, Son Gohan couldn't resist teasing him.

On this Dragon Ball journey, he wasn't just going to find the Dragon Balls. He was going to find Goku a wife to take home, too.

"A wife? What's that? Can you eat it?"

Son Goku scratched his head and asked, puzzled.

"You can eat her, of course—but not in the way you're thinking!"

Son Gohan winked at Goku, as if there were a hidden meaning in his words.

But Son Goku was so innocent that even after living with Son Gohan for years, he was still completely clueless about men and women. He didn't understand what his brother meant.

He didn't get it, but someone else sitting there certainly did.

Bulma's face turned bright red as she glared at Son Gohan.

"Hey! Goku's still a kid. Don't corrupt him!"

"I just don't get it. How can someone so young be such a pervert?"

"Huh? Did I say anything? I was just talking about finding Goku a wife someday."

"Besides, we're all in our teens. We could find a girl we like, date for a few years, and then, when the time comes, the man gets married and the woman gets married. That's all!"

Son Gohan began making excuses.

"Then what was all that about eating her? That's so wicked! You're just—you're just a filthy old lecher!"

Bulma hesitated, but she still mustered the courage to say it.

"And with your height, you've got some nerve calling yourself a teenager!"

Bulma pursed her lips, her expression saying, Do you really expect me to believe that?

"You finally asked!"

Son Gohan's mouth curled into a smirk. The reason he'd deliberately steered the conversation this way was simply to get the chance to talk about his age and the characteristics of his species.

It would've been so awkward to bring it up out of nowhere. Now that Bulma had asked, it came out much more smoothly!