At this moment.
Now that he was no longer only five feet tall, Tarble was in a very good mood, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Hearing Son Goku's words, he teased,
"Son Goku, you could wish to be a little taller, too."
But Son Goku shook his head without even thinking about it.
"I'd never make such a boring wish to the Dragon God."
At that, Tarble's face stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He clenched his back teeth.
Boring?
This wish was boring?
How many people wanted to make a wish like that but couldn't, and had to put things under their feet to make themselves taller? And you're telling me it's boring?!
Just you wait!
Once we get into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, you're going to regret it!
At the thought, a faint, ill-intentioned smirk appeared on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with amusement.
Across from him, Son Goku suddenly felt uneasy.
In an instant, his smile vanished. His expression turned serious, and he put a hand to his chest.
But the next second, the uneasy feeling disappeared.
He was puzzled.
"What's going on?"
"I felt a little uncomfortable just now, but now I don't..."
"That's strange!"
He furrowed his brows and thought it over, but couldn't figure it out.
Then he promptly forgot about it, his face lighting up with excitement and anticipation again.
"Tarble, now that all our wishes have come true, shall we head back?"
"You've got to teach me properly how to transform into a Super Saiyan 4!"
At that, Tarble gave him a meaningful look and answered with a chuckle, his words carrying a double meaning. "No problem."
"I'll teach you with all my heart. I guarantee you'll learn!"
Son Goku only understood the literal meaning and immediately beamed. "That's great!"
"Then let's go back!"
With that, he flashed to Tarble's side and grabbed his arm.
Judging by his stance, he was about to use Instant Transmission to return to Earth.
Seeing Son Goku about to take off without even saying goodbye, Tarble felt exasperated and hurriedly called out,
"Wait a moment!"
"What is it?" Son Goku stopped, though he looked confused. "Is there something else we need to do?"
Something else?
How could he even ask!
Damn it, was he just going to use their things and leave without so much as a thank-you?
Couldn't he show a little gratitude and say a simple goodbye?
Use someone and toss them aside—what a scumbag Rot!
Tch!
Tarble glared at him. Trying to teach him manners would be slower than bashing his head against a block of tofu.
He'd better do it himself.
Then he turned to Muri and the others, bowed slightly, and thanked them sincerely. "Thank you, Grand Elder Muri, for granting our wishes. We won't keep you any longer!"
As he spoke, he pointed at Son Goku, who still had a firm grip on him, and said helplessly, "I need to teach this guy a new transformation. Look at him—he can't wait."
Son Goku didn't catch the sarcasm at all. After listening, he nodded earnestly. "Yeah, Tarble's right. He still has to teach us an even stronger transformation."
"If there's nothing else, we'll be heading back, Grand Elder Muri?"
"Oh, oh!" Muri came back to his senses. Since even Son Goku had said so, he believed them without hesitation. "Then you're both welcome to visit whenever you like. We'd be delighted to have you."
Tarble didn't care whether Muri was just being polite; he agreed as fast as lightning. "Then goodbye, Grand Elder Muri. We'll bring Dende back here sometime, too."
"Until we meet again!"
If he could benefit from Son Goku's good fortune, there was no reason not to.
Besides, he was already thinking about making another wish next time!
Without giving them a chance to say anything else, he called out to Son Goku, who was still looking a little dazed. "Goku, let's go!"
"Huh? Oh, we're going!"
"See you all next time!"
Son Goku at least knew enough to say goodbye before they left.
His voice still echoed in the air.
Whoosh!
Yet Tarble and Son Goku vanished from the spot in an instant.
Watching the place where they had disappeared, Muri smiled faintly, then called out to his people. "Everyone, put away the Dragon Balls and get back to whatever you were doing."
"Yes, Grand Elder!" xN
The Namekians scattered in response.
"Grand Elder, that Saiyan named Tarble had an even more terrifying aura than Son Goku."
"That's right, Grand Elder. Why did you agree to a promise with him? Aren't you worried...?"
The two who spoke were currently the strongest Namekian warriors, normally responsible for protecting Grand Elder Muri.
Of course, they also took turns training.
Before the last one could finish speaking, Muri interrupted him.
"Pena, you sensed Mr. Tarble's aura, too."
"Not a trace of evil emanated from him. He can't be an evil person. I trust my judgment."
"Besides, he's so powerful. Using a few wishes to befriend him is a good thing."
"If we run into a difficult problem in the future and ask him for help, he'll do everything he can for us."
The two guards exchanged a look, saying nothing.
They felt that instead of placing their hopes in someone else, it would be better to keep them in their own hands.
Muri paid no attention to what they were thinking. Gazing into the distance, he cautioned them,
"From now on, don't show Mr. Tarble any disrespect. Understand?"
"Yes, Grand Elder." x2
Tarble and Son Goku knew nothing about what happened later on New Namek.
By then, they had already returned to Earth and headed straight to Kami's Lookout.
Vegeta and Rix had been waiting there for quite some time.
"Kakarot, what took you so long?" Vegeta asked, his face taut.
When he noticed that Tarble had suddenly grown taller, he couldn't help giving him a couple of extra looks.
By his estimate, making a wish should have taken ten minutes at most.
But now half an hour had passed.
He and Rix, along with Son Gohan, Trunks, and Son Goten, had hurried out to buy a large amount of food.
After buying the food and other household supplies, they'd returned to the villa and waited several more minutes without seeing anyone come back, so they decided to wait at Kami's Lookout.
But even after they arrived, they waited nearly ten more minutes before the others finally returned.
They'd been left waiting for more than ten minutes altogether. Who wouldn't be annoyed?
Son Gohan and the others had waited five minutes, then gone back when no one showed up.
The only person Vegeta could imagine taking his time was Son Goku.
After all, whenever Bulma held a party, Son Goku was almost always the last to arrive.
When Vegeta blamed him, Son Goku immediately passed the buck to Tarble.
"I wanted to come back sooner, too. Tarble spent a while talking with Muri and the others!"
Vegeta fell silent at that.
As for Tarble, he couldn't be bothered to entertain Son Goku. Instead, he turned to Dende and Mr. Popo.
"Dende, Mr. Popo, sorry to bother you again."
As soon as he spoke, he saw the unmistakable amusement in Mr. Popo's eyes, which had been expressionless a moment ago. Mr. Popo nodded in greeting.
In particular, he looked Tarble up and down.
Dende smiled and said, "It's all right. You can come by whenever you like."
Of course, he had also noticed that Tarble was taller than before, and gave him a couple of extra looks.
Before you continue