She rolled her eyes, a sly glint flashing across them. "You just said you'd repay me, right?"
Vitelli nodded, understanding dawning. Age 749—the year Bulma first set out to find the Dragon Balls and met Kid Goku! It looked like he'd been asleep for way more than two years. It had been over ten years!!! (He'd left in Age 731.)
...This piece-of-junk spaceship had missed its mark by way too much!
"Perfect!"
Bulma clapped her hands excitedly and said:
"I'm searching for the legendary Dragon Balls! They're magical orbs that can grant any wish! This journey could be dangerous, and since you want to repay me..."
She looked Vitelli up and down, remembering the powerful force that had sent her flying. "Why don't you be my bodyguard? Protect me while I find the Dragon Balls, and we'll call it even! What do you say?"
Vitelli looked at the lively young woman before him and thought of the incredible technological genius she'd become. Without hesitation, he nodded. "Sure! It's a deal! Bodyguard Vitelli, at your service, Miss Bulma."
He bowed slightly, performing a gesture no Saiyan would ever make.
As if he'd refuse! This was his future meal ticket and the best support he could ask for. Only an idiot would turn her down! Yamcha? Who was that idiot? Never heard of him!
They walked out of the spaceship. Looking around at the deep valley, almost entirely covered in primeval forest, Vitelli felt a lingering chill.
This landing spot was way too remote! If he hadn't met Bulma, he really might've slept in that iron coffin until the end of time.
Bulma took out a Hoi-Poi Capsule and, with a "pop," stored the huge spaceship inside. Vitelli clicked his tongue in amazement. "Hoi-Poi Capsules... What a convenient invention."
"The terrain here is too rough. Let's just take my aircraft out of here!" Bulma said, reaching for an aircraft capsule.
"No need to go to all that trouble."
Vitelli smiled slightly and, to Bulma's surprise, slipped an arm around her waist.
"Ah! Wait... What are you doing?!"
Bulma cried out as her body suddenly lifted into the air!
"Haha, hold on tight! Don't blame me if you fall!"
Vitelli laughed, holding Bulma as he rose steadily into the air. Then he turned into a streak of light and effortlessly burst through the thick canopy, soaring into the clear sky!
The strong wind whipped through their hair and clothes.
"Waaah—! We're... We're flying!"
After her initial fright, Bulma felt the unprecedented freedom of flight and couldn't contain her excitement.
"This is amazing, Vitelli! Can all you aliens fly?"
Vitelli smiled but didn't answer. He lowered his head and spoke into her ear.
"Point the way, Bulma. Where should we look for the next Dragon Ball? And also..."
Before he could finish, a thunderous rumbling came from his stomach, loud enough to drown out the wind.
"...I'm starving. Is there somewhere we can get food? Or should I go hunt something?"
Bulma burst out laughing at the comically loud growling of his stomach.
"Haha! Don't worry, I brought plenty of food! Just find somewhere to land, and I'll make sure you eat until you can't move!"
Before long, the two of them landed beside a relatively flat stretch of riverbank.
With a confident air, Bulma took out one Hoi-Poi Capsule after another, producing a beautiful house and all kinds of neatly packaged Earth food and drinks. Soon, the table was piled high.
"Dig in! Don't be shy!" Bulma said, giving an enthusiastic wave.
Vitelli's eyes lit up at the sight of all the delicious Earth food.
This was Earth food! He'd always hated the food on Planet Vegeta.
And he hadn't eaten anything in over ten years!
He didn't hold back any longer and started devouring the food like a whirlwind!
His speed and appetite gradually turned Bulma's initial indifference into utter astonishment.
Hamburgers? Three in one bite! Sandwiches? Three in one bite! A whole roast chicken? Gone in a single bite—not even the bones were left! Piles of rice balls? They disappeared into a bottomless pit! Juice and soda? He drank straight from the bottle, one bottle per gulp!
The food on the table vanished at a visible speed...
Half an hour later.
Vitelli patted his stomach contentedly. Looking at the empty table and food wrappers, he smacked his lips, still wanting more.
"Mm... It tasted good! Just not quite enough. I'm about... a third full. Bulma, do you have anything else to eat?"
Bulma's jaw nearly hit the ground. Mechanically, she pointed at several huge refrigerators that had also been emptied of food. Her voice was dry as she said, "N-no... You... You ate it all... That was enough food to feed an ordinary person for a whole month..."
She looked at Vitelli's still-handsome face, which seemed even more energetic after eating all that delicious food. Thinking of the terrifying strength that had sent her flying, his enormous appetite, and the tail swaying back and forth...
An unstoppable thought began to take root in her mind:
"Oh my god... Is this... the husband Heaven sent me?! He eats so much—an ordinary person could never afford to keep him! Only I, Bulma, can! And... he's really handsome!!!"
Bulma covered her burning cheeks and watched Vitelli pick his teeth. Her heart was full of... sweet? troubles, along with a strange sense of satisfaction from feeding him.
"Sigh..."
Then she sighed helplessly. "Looks like we'll have to change the plan. Vitelli, tomorrow we'll go to the nearest town to restock... For tonight, you'll just have to... hold out!"
Vitelli nodded in understanding. Since there was no food left, there was nothing else to do. He might as well go to sleep.
At the highest point on Earth, thousands of meters above the peak of Korin Tower, stood the mysterious and ancient Lookout, suspended high in the sky, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
On the broad white plaza before the temple stood two figures, one tall and one short.
The Earth's green-skinned Guardian stood in a white robe, gripping his staff tightly. His face was as dark as the clouds before a storm.
His eyes, capable of seeing through the mortal world, pierced layer after layer of clouds and fixed firmly on the two figures in the distant wilderness below, who had just finished dinner.
More precisely, he was focused on the black-haired young man with a tail, named Vitelli.
Mr. Popo, the attendant standing silently beside the Guardian like a shadow, also wore an unusually solemn expression.
After a long while, the Guardian finally drew a slow breath, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
He raised a slightly trembling hand and used a towel to wipe the fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
"How could a being with such terrifying power appear in this world..."
The Guardian's voice, carrying a faint rasp of disbelief, echoed through the silent plaza.
"That aura was like a volcano erupting... No! It was far stronger than that... And it truly belonged to a living creature! It's almost impossible to imagine!"
He looked down again, watching Vitelli talk with the blue-haired girl Bulma and even help clean up the trash, a relaxed smile on his face. Only then did the Guardian's taut nerves ease a little.
"Thank goodness... Thank goodness..."
The Guardian let out a long sigh to Mr. Popo beside him, his voice full of lingering fear.
"He doesn't seem to harbor any ill will, at least... not for now. And after his power flared up, his aura quickly settled and became stable. When he's with that girl named Bulma, he seems peaceful... even a little... casual?"
Mr. Popo's deep, dark eyes also watched the scene below. He slowly nodded and said in an even voice:
"Yes, Guardian. Popo sensed it too. The 'ki' of that young man named Vitelli is so powerful it's unsettling, but at its core... it isn't evil. There's no brutality, no thirst for killing. Instead... it feels like something tempered by time."
The Guardian leaned on his staff and gazed at the distant, rolling sea of clouds, his deep eyes filled with worry and helplessness.
"Let's hope so, Popo. Let's hope this sudden change is a blessing rather than a disaster for Earth."
He recalled the torrent of power that had burst forth the moment Vitelli awakened. That power had been so pure and immense that it far surpassed the limits of what he believed life on Earth could possess!
It was like a meteor crashing into a calm lake, completely shattering the balance of power on Earth.
Was this alien's arrival an accident? Or had the gears of some unknown fate begun to turn?
The Guardian let out another deep sigh. The wrinkles on his aged face seemed to grow a little deeper.
At that moment, Earth's future seemed shrouded in a fog no one could see through.
All he could do was hope Mr. Popo's judgment was right, and that this powerful alien visitor named Vitelli really was as harmless as he appeared...
Silence fell over the plaza once more, broken only by the Guardian's sigh and the faint sound of wind from below.
Chapter 8: Finally Living Off Someone Else!
Over the roar of the engine, Bulma drove deftly along a winding, rugged mountain road.
She gripped the steering wheel with one hand and stared intently at the pulsing dot on the Dragon Radar screen with the other. Only when it finally settled very close by did she let out a long breath of relief.
"Phew... At least we didn't get lost again!"
After her habitual complaint, Bulma glanced at the passenger seat. Vitelli was leaning his head to one side, breathing evenly as he slept soundly. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting mottled shadows across his chiseled profile.
"Hey! Vitelli!"
Bulma reached over and shoved him, annoyed. "Wake up! You're way too relaxed for a bodyguard, aren't you? I'm working hard to drive, and you're sleeping like a log!"
Vitelli's head jerked up as he woke from his light doze. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned lazily. Over Bulma's complaints, he glanced ahead and drawled, "You have to focus when you drive... Don't look at me, look at the road. There's a surprise up ahead."
"A surprise? What surpri—" Bulma followed his pointing finger without thinking. Her pupils suddenly shrank!
In the middle of the narrow mountain road ahead stood a child in a tattered orange martial arts gi, carrying a wild boar even bigger than himself! The boar's tusks were nearly poking the front of the car!
"Waaah—! Get out of the way!" Bulma screamed in terror and slammed on the brakes!
Screeech—!!!
The piercing squeal of tires echoed through the valley. The car lurched forward from the sudden stop, then screeched to a halt in a close call less than a meter from the child and the boar!
Bulma was thrown against the steering wheel, her heart pounding wildly.
The child outside was startled by the sudden appearance of the steel monster. He leaped back nimbly, putting some distance between them, then warily eyed the car with his big, round eyes. The red staff in his hands instinctively came up in a defensive stance.
"Hey! What kind of monster are you?!"
The child called out in a booming voice, with a hint of curiosity.
Still shaken, Bulma patted her chest, pushed open the car door, and planted her hands on her hips as she snapped back, "Monster, your head! We're not monsters! We're people!"
"Liar!"
Son Goku pointed at Bulma and declared with utter certainty, "You don't even have a tail! How could you be a person?"
As he spoke, he proudly swished the furry tail behind him, which was wagging restlessly.
"Eh? You have a tail too?"
Bulma stared at the tail in surprise, then turned to look at Vitelli, who had just gotten out of the car.
Vitelli's lips curled into an amused smile. He walked up to Goku without a word, and his tail flicked like a serpent, cracking against Goku's little head with a light smack.
"Ow! That hurt!"
Goku covered the spot he'd been hit and glared at Vitelli, cheeks puffed out like an angry little animal.
"Why'd you hit me?!"
Bulma looked at Goku's swaying tail, then Vitelli's equally carefree, swishing one, and was completely baffled. "You two... What's going on? Is this kid... an alien too?"
Vitelli nodded, his gaze carrying a faint trace of nostalgia. He pointed at Goku. "He's from Planet Vegeta, just like me. We're both Saiyans, a warrior race. His Saiyan name is Kakarot."
"No, it isn't!"
Goku immediately shouted back, his little face turning red and the veins in his neck bulging. "My name is Son Goku! My Grandpa gave me that name! I'm not Kakarot!"
"Fine, fine. Goku."
Vitelli shrugged indifferently, not bothering to argue with the amnesiac little brat.
He reached into Bulma's shoulder bag, pulled out the orange Two-Star Dragon Ball, and held it out in front of Goku. "Hey, kid. Do you have something like this at home?"
Goku's eyes were instantly drawn to the Dragon Ball, shining brightly. "Huh? Why do you have another Grandpa?" He instinctively touched the orange Four-Star Ball around his neck.
Bulma put a hand to her forehead, feeling helpless.
"Why would this thing be your grandpa? It's a Dragon Ball! Whatever... Since you have one too, could your grandpa lend his to us? Once we collect all seven, we can make a wish. We'll definitely give it back afterward!"
"No way!"
Goku immediately clutched his Four-Star Ball tightly and shook his head like a rattle. "You can't lend Grandpa to anyone! Grandpa's Grandpa!"
"Argh! You're driving me crazy! You're so stubborn!" Bulma grabbed her blue hair and ruffled it in frustration.
Vitelli found the scene so amusing that he simply folded his arms and watched.