"Mr. Popo, I'll be in your care from now on."
As a newcomer, Dende didn't call him by his name outright. He respectfully addressed him as "Mr. Popo."
"Lord Kami, please come with me. I'll guide you through the succession ceremony."
"Mr. Gohan, please wait here for a moment."
Mr. Popo said.
"Okay." Son Gohan and the others nodded.
With that, Mr. Popo took Dende into the inner chamber to perform the succession ceremony.
Only Son Gohan, Bulma, and Trunks remained in the courtyard of Kami's Lookout.
Son Gohan asked about Cell. "Have you found Dr. Gero's laboratory?"
At the question, Trunks stopped reaching for Son Gohan's tail.
Bulma replied:
"Not yet. Dr. Gero really lives up to his reputation as a remnant of the Red Ribbon Army. He's extremely skilled at covering his tracks."
"I've looked through a lot of information online about the Red Ribbon Army and Dr. Gero. I came up with a number of possible locations for a secret laboratory, but I haven't found anything."
"After that, I offered a large reward for leads, but not many people came forward."
Son Gohan asked, "Any useful information?"
"Some," Bulma said. "I've narrowed it down to a few leads, and I'm checking them one by one now."
"Okay, let's check those leads first. If we still can't find it, we can ask Shenron to help us search." Son Gohan nodded.
"Okay." Bulma nodded.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Trunks asked, "Gohan, is Shenron really that amazing? Did he help you regrow your arm?"
Trunks had often heard legends about Shenron, but he'd never seen the Dragon Balls or Shenron himself. His curiosity had reached its peak.
"Yeah, Shenron did help restore my arm," Son Gohan said. "Within the limits of his power, he can grant most wishes."
Trunks continued, "Then what are the limits of his power? And how many wishes count as 'most'?"
Son Gohan gave Trunks a serious look. He seemed like he had the makings of a real nitpicker.
What did a thirteen-year-old boy even think about all day?
"That's hard to explain," Son Gohan said, "but try not to make any bizarre or unreasonable wishes."
"Is that right, Mom?" Trunks looked at Bulma.
"More or less." Bulma nodded.
The three of them chatted for a little over ten minutes.
Mr. Popo emerged from the inner chamber with Dende.
Compared to before, Dende now wore a cape.
His whole demeanor had also grown calmer and more composed.
"Is the succession ceremony already over?" Son Gohan asked.
"Yes," Mr. Popo replied. "It was only a simple ceremony, so it didn't take long. Lord Kami's talent was a factor too."
"See? I told you, Dende. You're perfectly capable of being Kami." Son Gohan smiled.
Dende scratched his head bashfully. He didn't look much like a dignified god.
Son Gohan continued, "So, Dende, when can you start activating the Dragon Balls?"
"I can do it now," Dende said.
Then he looked at Mr. Popo. "Mr. Popo, can you find a model of Shenron? Sorry for the trouble, but could you bring one here? I need it as a medium to activate the Dragon Balls."
"Oh, certainly. I carved a Shenron model once, when I was bored. It's still in the inner chamber. I didn't expect it would come in handy."
"Just a moment."
As he spoke, he turned and hurried into the inner chamber.
A short while later, he came back carrying a wooden Shenron carving.
"Lord Kami, will this do?" Mr. Popo held it up in front of Dende.
The carving was lifelike, depicting an Eastern dragon.
Mr. Popo had carved it in Shenron's likeness when he was bored.
"Of course. Mr. Popo, please put it on the ground," Dende instructed.
"Yes, Lord Kami." Mr. Popo nodded respectfully, then carefully set the wooden Shenron on the ground nearby.
Dende walked over to the carving and crouched beside it.
The others, including Son Gohan, had never seen anything like this. They all looked on with curiosity.
They said nothing, keeping their eyes fixed on Dende and the wooden Shenron without even blinking.
Dende placed both hands over the carving and began chanting in a language—or perhaps an incantation—that was difficult to understand.
It was neither the common language of the universe nor the Namekian Language.
It was the language of the Dragon Clan.
They said it was a wondrous incantation that Dragon God Zalama had left behind in this world.
It was truly miraculous.
As Dende's chanting grew faster, a faint golden light enveloped his hands.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it engulfed the Shenron model as well.
Then, a blinding radiance erupted.
It was as if a tiny sun had burst before them, and they all squinted against the glare.
At the brightest moment, a thick golden beam shot into the sky, then split into seven shooting stars that streaked away.
Everyone looked up at the beam until it vanished completely.
When they lowered their eyes, they saw that the wooden Shenron in front of Dende had disappeared.
Dende wiped the sweat from his forehead, then stood up and said, "All done. I've activated the Dragon Balls. Now we just need to gather all seven to make a wish."
"What about the wishes? How many can we make?" Son Gohan asked.
"I based mine on Porunga's," Dende replied. "It can grant three wishes too, but it's just a little weaker than Porunga on Namek, since Grand Elder Moori is a more capable member of the Dragon Clan than I am."
Son Gohan burst out laughing and clapped Dende on the shoulder. "That's already amazing. Thanks, Dende."
"You're welcome," Dende said.
A short while later, Son Gohan and the others said their goodbyes and returned to West City.
At Bulma's home in West City,
Bulma was adjusting the Dragon Radar.
It hadn't been used for over ten years, and it had developed a minor glitch. She needed to recalibrate it before it would work properly.
Son Gohan and Trunks watched from the side.
Trunks stared at the Dragon Radar, his face brimming with excitement, his eyes sparkling.
Looking at Trunks's comical expression, Son Gohan couldn't help teasing him:
"Trunks, are you holding in a pee? Don't hold it—go already."
Trunks blushed. "I'm not!"
Then he hurriedly said, "Gohan, let me handle collecting the Dragon Balls. Don't compete with me, okay?"
"Uh, sure. I won't compete with you."
"Good. You promised, so don't take it back." Trunks raised his hand, asking Son Gohan to seal their promise with a high five.
Son Gohan reluctantly slapped his hand.
It was only collecting Dragon Balls. What was there to compete over?
Since Trunks was so eager, he could go ahead.
"Finally, it's fixed." Bulma held up the Dragon Radar.
"Here, Trunks." She handed him the Dragon Radar.
Trunks took it and shuddered all over, as if he'd been electrocuted.
"Th-then I'm off." Even his breathing had grown ragged.
"Go on. Don't be long." Bulma couldn't help smiling.
"Okay!" Trunks nodded and rushed out of the house with the Dragon Radar, moving as fast as lightning.
Was every cell in this kid's body made of curiosity?
Watching in the direction Trunks had gone, Son Gohan thought to himself.
Just then, Bulma said, "Gohan, come over here. I'll show you some of the leads I've gathered."
"Oh, sure. Coming."
Before you continue