Krillin shrank his neck under her glare.
But after she finished speaking, Bulma suddenly noticed Soro looking at her, his gaze fixed on her.
Her expression changed in an instant.
The corners of her eyes softened, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.
"It's all right." Bulma's voice turned soft, as if she were soothing a child. "The Dragon Balls will bring them back to life."
Krillin: "..."
Krillin opened his mouth, his eyes wide.
That was one quick change of heart.
Krillin silently wiped away his sweat. Beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead under the light.
"Seriously, Bulma," Krillin asked, his brow furrowed, "hasn't Yamcha been pursuing you this whole time? He's dead... How come you don't seem sad at all?"
"What are you talking about, Krillin?" Bulma put her hands on her hips and snapped at him, her chin lifting slightly.
Her voice rose again.
"He likes me—that's his business. Let me say it again: I don't like him at all! He's just not my type!"
"Got it..." Krillin scratched his head awkwardly, rubbing his bald scalp.
Soro paused in surprise, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Bulma.
His gaze lingered on her face for two seconds.
How come this isn't going the way I remember?
Could it be that Bulma and Yamcha never got together in this timeline?
Soro's lips curved into a faint smile, then quickly settled back into place.
"Let's head back first," Korin suggested, crouched off to one side.
Everyone boarded the airship together.
Their footsteps thudded across the metal boarding ramp.
Soro stayed where he was, hands in his pockets, gazing at the distant sky.
"Soro." Bulma leaned halfway out of the airship's hatch and gave him a gentle smile.
She tilted her head to one side, trying her best to look like a refined young lady.
"Come with us! You can have a nice meal at our place first! We've got lots of delicious food. You're a big eater too, just like Goku, right?"
"A big eater turtle?"
Standing behind Bulma, Krillin muttered under his breath.
But Bulma heard him anyway.
Bulma: "..."
Bulma's face darkened at once, and a vein in her forehead twitched.
She glared furiously at Krillin, her eyes practically spitting fire.
"I was just joking. Don't get mad!" Krillin hurriedly backed away several steps, waving his hands in front of him.
"Sure. Thanks." Soro nodded and stepped aboard the airship.
The hatch closed with a dull thud.
The engine roared louder.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, the airship shot into the sky, heading toward West City.
The scenery outside the windows swept past, and the buildings on the ground grew smaller and smaller.
Below, Yajirobe came running from a distance, his steps hurried and the fat on his belly jiggling.
He waved his arms and shouted, "Hey, wait for me! I haven't boarded yet!"
His voice echoed across the empty wilderness.
But the people aboard the airship seemed to have completely forgotten about him. No one noticed he was there.
The airship climbed higher and flew farther away.
"Whoosh!"
It picked up speed, blue flames blasting from its tail.
Beneath the setting sun, it left a shining streak behind as it disappeared over the horizon.
Yajirobe stood there, bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
He raised his head and stared in the direction the airship had vanished, his lips trembling.
"You bunch of bastards..."
Inside the airship.
"By the way, Korin," Krillin suddenly said, turning to him. "Didn't that guy Yajirobe come to fight?"
"He said he would..." Korin mused, stroking his chin with a paw.
He paused.
"Maybe he got hungry along the way and stopped somewhere to eat."
"Maybe it's a good thing he didn't come," Krillin said with a sigh, shaking his head. "He probably would've died too."
"The biggest problem now is..." Son Goku stroked his chin, deep in thought, his brow furrowed. "Yamcha and Tien Shinhan can both be brought back with the Dragon Balls, but what about Chiaotzu?"
"Yeah." Krillin nodded sadly, his eyes reddening slightly. "Chiaotzu has already died once. There's no way to bring him back."
"This is a real problem!" Bulma added with a sigh, folding her arms.
"Soro," Krillin asked, turning to him, "did you come to Earth because you'd heard about the Dragon Balls?"
"No." Soro shook his head and smiled, keeping his hands in his pockets. "I came here specifically to take care of Vegeta and Nappa."
"Oh, I see." Krillin nodded.
He paused, then explained with a smile, "The Dragon Balls we were talking about are something incredibly mysterious on Earth. Once you gather all seven, you can make any one wish come true!"
"I've heard of the Dragon Balls." Soro smiled, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "A long time ago, I saw them mentioned in an ancient book on Planet Vegeta. It said they were a special ability of the Namekians."
"Namekians?" Krillin froze, then immediately shifted his gaze to Piccolo.
Piccolo raised an eyebrow but said nothing, folding his arms with an impassive expression.
"That's right." Soro looked at Piccolo too and smiled. "Piccolo here is a Namekian."
Piccolo: "..."
Piccolo's eye twitched slightly.
"I heard that from that Saiyan called Nappa too..." Krillin said with a sigh, scratching his bald head. "So Piccolo's a Namekian! No wonder you're so strong."
Piccolo remained silent, turning his gaze toward the window.
"I've mostly figured out what you were talking about," Soro said, looking around at everyone. "Before this, had three people already died in battle?"
"Y-yes." Son Goku nodded, his expression growing somber.
"This is my fault." Soro sighed in self-reproach, his brow furrowed. "I got here too late! If I'd come to Earth sooner, they wouldn't have died."
Hearing Soro say that—and seeing how remorseful he looked—Son Goku and the others were deeply moved.
Son Goku's eyes reddened slightly, and his lips parted.
Krillin lowered his head and wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.
Piccolo's expression remained impassive, but his gaze softened a little.
Soro really is a good person.
"But," Soro asked, looking at Krillin, "from what you've said, it sounds like there's someone who can't be brought back?"
"That's right." Krillin's voice was low, his fingers tightening into a fist. "Shenron can't bring back someone who's already died once! We had a friend named Chiaotzu who was killed a long time ago... so there's no way to bring him back again."
"Then go to Namek." Soro's tone was calm. "I heard there's a Shenron on Namek too. Maybe their Shenron can bring your friend back."
Before you continue