Meeting

"Where are we going?" Wang Yang asked from the passenger seat, catching the faint fragrance of Bulma's hair.

"How did you end up coming along?" Bulma asked in surprise.

"What? What did you say? You took all my precious things, and now you're asking why I came along?" Wang Yang glared. Was this woman doing it on purpose?

"Ha! Ha! Of course not! How could I forget?" Bulma waved her hand and laughed awkwardly.

She pressed the accelerator, and the car started moving, the scenery rushing past.

Outside the windows, towering bridges and skyscrapers brimming with futuristic technology were everywhere. Small aircraft occasionally streaked across the sky.

Wang Yang watched with great interest.

He wondered how many years ahead of the technology here was compared to the world he'd come from.

Before long, the car stopped in front of a building shaped like an upside-down hemisphere. The grounds around the house were filled with flowers.

"Come on, get out. This is my home." Bulma got out of the car and spoke to Wang Yang.

They walked side by side past a flower bed, where a beautiful blonde woman was watering the plants and singing.

"Bulma's home. Is this your new boyfriend?" Bulma's mother set down the watering can and smiled.

She walked over to Wang Yang and, without the slightest reserve, linked her arm through his.

"So, Bulma's boyfriend, what's your name?" Mrs. Briefs asked with a beaming smile.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Wang Yang." Mrs. Briefs was so enthusiastic that Wang Yang felt awkward and tried to pull his arm free.

"Mom!" Seeing her mother act like this, Bulma pressed a hand to her forehead and smiled helplessly.

"Wang Yang, when did you two get together? Have you held hands? Kissed? Gone on a date?" Mrs. Briefs fired off one question after another.

"We just got together," Wang Yang said with a cheeky grin.

"Hey! I haven't agreed to anything yet!" Bulma yelled at Wang Yang.

"How about we go on a date together?" Mrs. Briefs seemed not to have heard Bulma and continued smiling at Wang Yang.

"That won't do. I want to go on a date with Bulma!" Wang Yang laughed awkwardly.

"Hmph!" Bulma snorted.

The next day, the weather took a sudden turn, and rain pattered down without stopping.

Wang Yang left with Bulma aboard her small plane.

"Bulma, is it safe to fly in the rain? What if we get struck by lightning and fall?" Wang Yang asked with a smile from the passenger seat as Bulma focused on flying.

"My flying is the best in the world. How could we possibly get struck by lightning?" Bulma shot Wang Yang an annoyed look.

Though she said that, Bulma still didn't dare let her guard down. Getting struck by lightning high in the air would be fatal.

"Don't be nervous. Even if the plane explodes, I can keep you safe and sound." Wang Yang patted his chest.

"Yeah, right!"

The tournament was being held on a small island. Bulma landed the plane in an open area, put it away in a Capsule, then stood by the roadside to wait for a taxi.

"Bulma, don't forget—you have to make me a Gravity Chamber after the tournament," Wang Yang reminded her, holding an umbrella over her. The night before, he'd praised her to the skies until she finally agreed.

"Don't worry. How could I forget?"

At last, a taxi arrived. They got in and headed straight for the tournament grounds.

Master Roshi and Launch had been waiting outside the World Martial Arts Tournament venue for a long time. The moment Master Roshi saw Bulma's perfect figure, he nearly got a nosebleed. He completely ignored Wang Yang beside her.

"Long time no see!" Bulma said with a smile to Launch, ignoring the lecher.

Just then, while Bulma wasn't paying attention, a wicked hand reached out from behind her.

Smack!

Quick as a flash, Wang Yang slapped the hand just as it was about to touch Bulma's pert rear.

"You lecherous old man! If you can't keep your hands to yourself, you might as well lose them!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Master Roshi shouted, clutching his badly swollen hand.

Thump!

"Damn old man!"

Bulma turned around and immediately understood what had happened. She swung her fist and left a small lump on Master Roshi's head.

"By the way, Bulma, have you changed boyfriends?" Master Roshi took off his sunglasses and sized Wang Yang up.

He sensed an indescribable aura from the man in front of him. Wang Yang looked perfectly ordinary, yet somehow seemed anything but.

"No. He's a friend of mine," Bulma said with a huff.

Master Roshi's suspicious gaze shifted between the two of them.

"We're not together yet, but Bulma said she'll say yes if I win the tournament," Wang Yang said with a smile.

"Haha! Winning the championship won't be easy. Yamcha could beat you!" Puar shouted from the air.

Wang Yang smiled faintly and ignored the little cat as he went over to the tournament registration desk.

"My name's Wang Yang. Sign me up," he told the staff member.

"Sure!"

Just then, a small balloon got stuck in a tree. A little girl stood below it, crying sadly.

"Don't cry. It's okay. I'll get it down for you," Bulma said, patting the girl's head before reaching for the balloon.

Unfortunately, Bulma wasn't tall enough. Even on tiptoe, she couldn't reach it.

"Wang Yang, give me a hand," Bulma called, turning to him.

Wang Yang was about to go over when someone else took the balloon down first.

After a little questioning, everyone learned that the newcomer was Son Goku.

Kakarot! Wang Yang stared at the man in front of him, whose hair resembled a crab's and whose build was lean. He remembered the baby who had cried nonstop in the nursery all those years ago.

Puar had been keeping a close eye on Wang Yang, who seemed interested in Bulma, and had been circling him nonstop. When Puar spotted the tail wrapped around Wang Yang's waist, he rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. Then he cried out in alarm.

"A tail! He has a tail!"

"What?" Everyone was startled. Wang Yang had a tail?

"Why do you have a tail? Are you like Goku?" Bulma asked in surprise, staring at the tail around Wang Yang's waist.

"Wow, you really do have a tail, just like me!" Goku said, examining Wang Yang curiously.

"Goku, where's your tail?" Master Roshi asked.

"The Kami took it. He said it would become a weakness and hold me back, and that it would affect my fighting." Goku touched his chin, recalling what Kami had told him.

"I really do have a tail. It's unique to us Saiyans." Wang Yang loosened his tail and swung it through the air a few times, producing several sharp whistling sounds.

"Saiyans?"

Everyone was baffled.

"Hello, Kakarot!" Wang Yang walked over to Goku.

"Are you talking to me? But my name is Son Goku, not Kakarot." Goku pointed at himself, puzzled.