Please Come In, You Two, Son-kun!

"Help! Son-kun!"

As the man and dragon drew closer and closer, Bulma finally snapped out of the daze she'd been thrown into. She knew what the Son Gohan brothers could do, so she hurriedly shouted for help.

"Hahaha! You think this little runt can save you?"

Ribut had just started to taunt her again when Son Gohan beneath him suddenly made a move.

He gripped the Ruyi Staff and shouted, "Stretch!"

The short red staff seemed to come to life as it rapidly extended. In the blink of an eye, it was already more than ten meters long.

Before the dumbfounded Ributan could recover, Son Gohan swung the staff in a wide arc and brought it crashing down on his head.

"Boom!"

The blow landed on Ribut's head with tremendous force, driving the whole dragon to its knees!

Before he could react, Son Gohan thrust the Ruyi Staff forward, jamming it into the ground right against Ribut's belly.

"Up you go!"

Son Gohan roared, and Ribut's several-ton body was tossed into the air.

The blow had left him dazed, and his claws drooped limply. Bulma, still held in his grasp, let out a shriek as she began to fall from the sky.

The dizzying sensation terrified Bulma, and she screamed as she flailed her arms and legs, trying to find her balance. For a moment, she couldn't manage it.

"It's over! I don't want to die yet!"

Son Gohan raised a hand to gauge the distance between them. Then he extended the Ruyi Staff behind him and planted one end on the ground. Once he'd adjusted the angle, he shouted, "Stretch!"

The Ruyi Staff carried him swiftly toward Bulma, catching her securely before she hit the ground.

Bulma had her eyes shut, lost in panicked thoughts, when she suddenly felt something wrap tightly around her. Acting on instinct, she clung to Son Gohan like an octopus, too scared to let go and fall again.

Meanwhile, Ribut, who'd just been sent flying, finally crashed back down. He landed squarely near where Son Goku had been sitting cross-legged.

The moment he hit the ground, there was another "Rumble!" as he smashed a deep crater into the earth.

"Whoa! Wuneng, he's so fat!"

Seeing that Son Gohan had successfully caught such a plump dragon, Son Goku clapped excitedly, his eyes shining like they were about to glow.

Ribut felt the world spinning around him. Then he saw the tail-wearing boy in front of him drooling uncontrollably, looking as if he couldn't wait to eat him.

He immediately struggled to get back up. This was terrifying! That human had looked just like this when Ribut had tried to eat him. If he didn't get up, he'd probably be eaten himself.

Son Goku was carefully inspecting the fat dragon when he noticed his body beginning to tremble, as if he were about to run away.

"Huh? You've still got the strength to struggle?"

"Ha! Hah!"

With a sharp shout, Son Goku thought for a moment, then dropped into a bow stance and punched Ribut right between the brows. This time, Ribut could only manage a muffled groan before his vision went black and he lost consciousness completely.

"Done!"

Son Goku excitedly clapped his hands as Ribut collapsed into sleep, then prepared to go back to meditating.

Son Gohan had taught him this form of still meditation, saying that after each training session, he should sit quietly for a while, calm his mind, and feel the peace within.

Aside from having trouble adjusting at first and often falling asleep, Son Goku had gradually grown used to meditating. It often made his mind feel more peaceful.

Most importantly, after meditating many times, he'd finally learned not to lose control when the full moon turned him into a Giant Ape!

As for Son Gohan, he hadn't lost control once since he was six, when his soul had finished its initial fusion.

While Son Goku was inspecting the unconscious food, Son Gohan finally walked over from a distance, with his passenger still clinging to him.

"Hey, Goku, go easy on him. Don't kill him. I want to see if I can win him over. Having another mount to travel on would make things a lot faster!"

He casually tossed the Ruyi Staff back to Son Goku, then glanced helplessly at Bulma clinging to him. He didn't mind the feeling—if anything, it was rather nice—but she couldn't stay attached to him forever.

He helplessly spoke up again.

"Miss Bulma, there's no danger now. You can get down."

At his words, the trembling Bulma slowly lifted her head from where it was buried against Son Gohan's chest.

"That scared me half to death! That dragon came out of nowhere. I thought I'd never see Mom and Dad again!"

Now that she could see they were truly safe, she still shuddered with lingering fear. Then she realized how indecorously she was clinging to Son Gohan, and her face flushed bright red.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble, Son-kun!"

After a quiet apology, she hurriedly unwrapped her legs from around him and jumped down.

After all that commotion, the sun was nearly setting. They'd originally planned to spend the night on the mountaintop, but Bulma took one look around, declared that she couldn't make do there, and insisted they head down.

Son Gohan didn't argue. Before they left, though, he turned back toward Mount Paozu with Goku.

"Goku, take one more look. Once we leave this mountain, it might not be so easy to come back and live here again."

"But can't we go home after we bring Grandpa back to life?"

Son Goku asked curiously.

Son Gohan gazed toward the distant house but didn't explain.

He knew how the Dragon Ball world would unfold from here. Even with him as an unknown variable, the broad strokes surely wouldn't change.

All sorts of characters would make their entrances: Earth, the galaxy, and even the universe!

People, gods, demons, monsters! They'd encounter them all. There would be no more peaceful days ahead.

"Heh, it's nothing. Maybe we'll have time to come back someday."

He rubbed his chin as he replied to Son Goku.

"Maybe we can go see what lies beyond the universe together. Then this trip won't have been for nothing."

Putting his reflections aside, the three set off again. Since Ribut the pterosaur was still unconscious, Son Gohan carried him this time.

Son Goku, whose strength hadn't fully recovered, climbed onto the back seat of the motorcycle. He was fascinated by the "iron monster" that could travel even faster than he could.

He spent the whole ride shouting excitedly, having the time of his life.

They continued until the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky. Only then did the three finally leave the Mount Paozu range.

When the moon was high overhead, Bulma was the first to stop the motorcycle.

"Let's set up camp here for the night!"

After speaking, she reached into her clothes and pulled out another storage case. She took a Capsule from it and tossed it lightly onto the ground.

A beautiful two-story house appeared in front of them.

"Please come in, you two, Son-kun!"