Shenron Appears, Intercepting the Wish (Part 1)

"Who, who on earth is it! To actually resort to such a despicable sneak attack!" Bulma's voice, laced with frustration and anger, echoed across the vast wilderness, only to be met with a series of dull reverberations.

Soon enough, a grey robot standing about three to four meters tall appeared before the group.

The robot approached the wrecked car and began rummaging through it wantonly.

After searching for a while, the robot finally stopped beside an open blue suitcase, where five Dragon Balls lay scattered on the ground (with one more still on Little Goku).

The robot's movements were swift and precise; after securing the Dragon Balls, it closed the suitcase without hesitation. It then activated its built-in propulsion system, emitting a low roar as it sped off toward the setting sun. This scene happened so suddenly that everyone present, save for Zhou Zilong who was feigning ignorance, was caught completely off guard.

"Goku, hurry and chase after it! The Dragon Balls must not fall into the hands of bad guys!" Zhou Zilong shouted intentionally.

Upon hearing this, Little Goku immediately summoned his magical Flying Nimbus. He hopped onto it without a second thought, and the cloud shot off like an arrow released from a bow, piercing the sky as it gave chase to the fleeing robot.

Just as in the original story, the naive and innocent Little Goku caught up to the grey robot left behind by Shu. Little Goku pulled out his Power Pole and immediately began questioning the empty robot.

However, the only response Little Goku received was silence. Seeing this, he stepped forward and poked the robot with his Power Pole, causing it to collapse instantly. Realizing the situation, Little Goku immediately turned back toward Zhou Zilong and the others.

Upon returning, Little Goku reported, "Brother Zilong, I won, but that person is gone, and I didn't find any other Dragon Balls!"

Zhou Zilong replied, "Goku, you were tricked by that person. That person had already run away; the robot you knocked down was just a decoy!"

Little Goku asked, looking somewhat at a loss, "Then what should I do?"

Zhou Zilong answered, "It's fine. In a moment, have Bulma use the Dragon Radar to give you the direction, and you go ahead and chase them. I'll catch up once I've fixed the car!"

Little Goku nodded to indicate there was no problem: "Mm, okay!"

At this moment, Zhou Zilong spoke toward a spot not far behind them: "I say, you person following me, are you going to reveal yourself, or should I come over and drag you out?"

The person Zhou Zilong was referring to was none other than Yamcha, who had been secretly tailing them. He had sensed Yamcha's presence the moment he started following, but he hadn't exposed him so that Yamcha could smoothly enter the plot.

Hiding to the side, Yamcha realized he had been discovered. With no other choice, he immediately revealed himself and offered to give them a ride for a while.

Zhou Zilong pointed at Iris and Oolong before saying, "My fiancée and I don't need a ride. We will catch up once we fix the car. You just take those two!"

After taking Oolong and Iris aboard, Yamcha, in a state of shyness, drove his car alongside Little Goku, who was riding the Flying Nimbus, as they moved toward the location of Pilaf's gang.

During this journey, unexpectedly, Iris teased Yamcha while he was driving, which paved the way for Iris to join the Dragon Ball group in the future.

At this point, Bulma asked, "Zilong, can we even fix this car?"

Because it had been struck by the robot piloted by Shu, the car was damaged beyond repair; scrapping it was the best option.

Zhou Zilong replied, "Of course we aren't fixing it. We'll rest for a while, and when that gang gathers the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron, we'll just go and snatch the wish first."

A puzzled Bulma asked again, "Ah? Then how are we going to get there?"

Zhou Zilong first countered with a question: "Do you remember how I suddenly appeared before you when you were setting off for Mount Paozu?"

After thinking for a moment, Bulma replied, "I don't know! You just appeared suddenly, and because I missed you so much at the time, I didn't ask!"

Zhou Zilong replied, "That was a unique technique I learned from an opportunity I encountered while training abroad, called a Space Portal. As long as I connect to the virtual space coordinates of the destination, I can arrive instantly!"

After speaking, Zhou Zilong once again pressed his index and middle fingers together and drew a circle. A blue ring of light expanded as his fingers continued to slide through the air.

Bulma's eyes widened, and she stared in disbelief at the blue ring of light gradually taking shape in Zhou Zilong's hands. The ring seemed to be an entrance connecting to another world, emitting a faint, mysterious glow. She had never seen such a magical sight; she felt both surprised and excited, as if the door to a new world had been opened.

"Is... is this what you call a Space Portal?" Bulma asked, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Zhou Zilong smiled and nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of confidence and anticipation: "That's right. With this, we can instantly arrive at any location with known coordinates!"

As Zhou Zilong's words fell, the image of the castle in the desert became increasingly clear within the ring, as if it were within reach. Bulma could clearly see the silhouette of the castle gleaming with a golden luster under the scorching sun, surrounded by an endless sea of sand—a desolate yet magnificent sight.

"It's so magical!" Bulma exclaimed, feeling an unprecedented spirit of adventure surging in her chest. "Can we set off now?"

Zhou Zilong nodded gently, signaling Bulma to come closer. He reached out his other hand and gently took hers. Together, they stepped into the slowly rotating blue ring of light. As their figures gradually merged into the portal, the world around them began to twist and blur until it vanished completely, replaced by a wondrous sensation of traveling through time and space.

Sensing through their ki that Pilaf's gang was currently on their way back, Zhou Zilong took Bulma to a secluded cave nearby, took out a capsule, and transformed it into a small house, where the two began their own sweet, entertaining world.

Meanwhile, Pilaf's gang had returned to the castle and were cheering for the great success of their operation.

After cheering for a while, Pilaf opened the suitcase only to discover that one Dragon Ball was missing.

Pilaf immediately prepared to have his two subordinates, Mai and Shu, go back to steal it. However, at this moment, Little Goku and the others were already closing in on the castle. According to the instruments they had built, Pilaf realized they were approaching and began to deploy his plans.