At Trunks's words, Vegeta was at a loss.
Trunks was at the age when he needed to go to school.
If he grew a tail, it would definitely be very inconvenient.
When Trunks was born, he had a tail too.
But Bulma had said that having a tail meant he could see the moon. If Vegeta happened to be away and Trunks accidentally saw the moon and turned into a Great Ape, it would be far too dangerous.
In the end, Vegeta couldn't argue against her. Besides, he also thought tails were a nuisance, so he hadn't objected.
But things were different now. Knowing that a tail was the key to transforming into a Super Saiyan 3 or Super Saiyan 4, he wanted to support Trunks in growing his tail back.
The problem was, he was afraid Bulma wouldn't agree.
If this had been when Trunks was first born, he wouldn't have considered Bulma's opinion at all. He would have simply made the decision himself.
But times had changed. Though he didn't dare admit it, he loved Bulma so deeply that he had to take her opinion into consideration.
For a moment, he was caught in a dilemma.
In the end, he could only settle on a compromise.
He suddenly crossed his arms over his chest and said with a slight frown,
"Don't ask me. If you want to grow your tail back, go ask your mother."
"I'd definitely like you to become stronger. I'm just worried your mother won't agree."
After speaking, he didn't even dare look at Son Goku, Tarble, and the others. Instead, he simply closed his eyes, as if to say, "Don't ask me again."
Seeing that Vegeta had agreed, Trunks was overjoyed.
"Thanks, Dad!"
"I'll go ask Mom in a bit!"
After saying a couple of quick words, he was about to take Son Goku and Son Goten to get the Dragon Ball Radar.
Just then, Tarble called out to stop them. "Wait!"
The three stopped and looked over in confusion.
"Let's not look for the Earth Dragon Balls just yet, okay?"
"I heard the Dragon Balls on Planet Namek are more powerful. Could you take me there?"
"Son Goku, you and my big brother can each use one wish. Could you save the last wish for me?"
"We don't need to use the Earth Dragon Balls for now. We can save them for an emergency."
"No problem. Gohan still hasn't decided what he wants," Son Goku readily agreed.
Vegeta, however, had a gleam in his eyes.
"Tarble, what do you want to wish for?"
"You're not thinking of wishing for eternal life, are you?"
He'd once wanted to make that very wish himself.
But later, he'd stopped thinking about it.
Other than that, he couldn't think of any wish worth asking the Dragon God for.
Suddenly,
a towering figure flashed through his mind.
In an instant, his pupils shrank. He thought he'd guessed the truth.
Then, with a complicated expression, he said, "Tarble, let it go."
"If someone's been dead for too long, the Dragon God can't bring them back to life."
Over the years, he'd thought about bringing his father, King Vegeta, back to life more than once.
But there were limits to whom the Dragon God could resurrect. It wasn't possible to bring back just anyone.
Tarble felt completely baffled.
Resurrect someone?
Who?
Everyone I know in this life is alive and well.
Wait!
Could he think... I want to bring King Vegeta back to life?
That was entirely possible!
You foolish big brother, why would I want to bring that old codger back to life?!
What a waste!
The wish I want to make is far more lofty!
In just an instant, he'd thought of all that and convinced himself he'd guessed correctly.
Then he pretended to look startled and murmured, sounding a little disappointed, "People who've been dead for too long can't be brought back?"
Vegeta gave him a look that said, "I knew it," and nodded firmly. "That's right!"
"If someone's been dead too long, the Dragon God can't grant that wish."
"Oh." Tarble deliberately lowered his eyelids. After a two-second pause, he said, "Then... I'll wish for something else."
Vegeta was a little surprised that Tarble had given up on his original plan so quickly. "Oh?"
"Then what do you want to wish for?"
Tarble raised a hand above his head and gestured to show how tall he wanted to be before stating his wish.
"I want to be a little taller. I'm too short right now."
Even if he didn't say it now, everyone would find out later when he secretly made his wish.
He might as well announce it openly.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw everyone present staring at him, their eyes wide with surprise.
Aside from wishing to resurrect someone, his first wish... was to get taller?
Unexpected!
So unexpected!
"Your wish... is certainly surprising!" Vegeta said, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself.
But when he saw Tarble, who barely came up to half his height, he realized that Tarble really was a bit short.
Tarble's expression remained calm, but inwardly he retorted,
Surprising?
What's so surprising about that?
Getting taller is a wish so many people dream of, but can't make come true!
Even Frieza, the real estate mogul of the universe, was desperate to grow five centimeters.
What a down-to-earth wish. Stop making such a fuss!
Just as he thought this, Son Goku burst out laughing.
"Haha, Tarble, that's the kind of wish you want to make?"
"Still, you're about as tall as Krillin. You really are a bit short, haha!"
Krillin, in the crowd, shot him a resentful look.
"Goku!!!"
"You can say whatever you want, but why drag me into it..."
Son Goku just laughed again. "Krillin, what's the problem?"
"You and Tarble really are about the same height!"
A direct hit to the face!
And a second time, too!
The two targets of his teasing were instantly covered in mental black lines.
Everyone else struggled to hold back their laughter.
Still, they knew Son Goku wasn't making fun of them. He was just speaking without thinking.
At that moment, the dutiful Son Gohan stepped in to smooth things over. A hint of shame crossed his face, but he still reproached Son Goku with righteous indignation. "Dad, making fun of someone's height is very rude."
"If you keep saying things like that, Uncle Tarble might get mad and refuse to teach you how to become a Super Saiyan 4!"
Right on target!
Perfectly played!
As soon as Son Goku heard this, he hurried to apologize, with all the sincerity in the world.
"Sorry, sorry, Tarble. I really wasn't making fun of you, so don't take it to heart, okay?!"
"That's a great wish. Really great!"
"You'll... still teach me how to transform into a Super Saiyan 4, right?"
Seeing him act so cautiously, Tarble felt both amused and annoyed.
"Don't worry. I believe you weren't making fun of me, and I'll tell you how to transform, too. But you'll need to be ready. I'll explain once we're inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
At that, Son Goku immediately raised his right fist in celebration. "Great!"
"Tarble, you're much easier to talk to than Vegeta!"
He'd spoken without thinking again.
Vegeta's face darkened, and he clenched his back teeth.
He was just about to start yelling when Son Gohan beat him to it.
"Dad!!"
"Stop saying whatever comes to mind!"
No wonder Uncle Vegeta got angry, with Dad always running his mouth like that!
At that moment, Son Gohan felt a little worn out.
He'd only just managed to placate one person, and now Dad was about to anger someone else.
Sigh!
It really was exhausting taking care of everyone.
Before you continue