Fire Mountain

Yamcha wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up, enduring the pain. He stared at Ziye in terror and asked in shock, "How do you know my Wolf Fang Fist?"

"Hmph, I only had to see that move once to learn it. What's so difficult about it?" Ziye curled his lip and said disdainfully.

"Damn it, you bastard! How dare you say my ultimate technique is so pathetic!"

Yamcha clenched his fists and said indignantly.

"You're so noisy! What are you doing out there? Can't you keep it down?"

Just then, Bulma rushed out wrapped in a bath towel, vigorously wiping her wet hair as she shouted.

"A... a... woman!"

Bulma's appearance turned Yamcha's face bright red. He stammered so badly he could barely speak, and even the pain in his body seemed to disappear.

"Master Yamcha, are you all right?" Puar hurried over and asked anxiously.

"I'm... I'm fine. Let's retreat for now."

"All right."

With that, the two climbed into their aircraft and sped away, kicking up a cloud of sand.

"Scared now, are you?"

Watching them disappear into the distance, Oolong laughed loudly at them.

"Hey, hey, who was that just now? He was so handsome!" Bulma said, touching her blushing cheek.

"What a lovesick woman," Oolong said, rolling his eyes at her.

"Finished your bath? Let's go. I'm driving this time. You sit in the back!"

Ziye said calmly to Bulma, then went straight to the car.

The three of them climbed in, and Ziye slammed on the gas. They headed off toward Fried Bread Slice once more.

They drove for nearly three days. The surroundings grew hotter and hotter, though Ziye had no idea that two groups were quietly following them.

"Huh? What's that?"

Suddenly, a brilliant light appeared in the distance. Bulma pointed ahead in surprise and asked.

"Wow, what a beautiful sunset!" Goku said excitedly, leaning against the car window.

"Idiot, how can there be a sunset in the daytime?" Oolong said disdainfully.

Soon, they reached the source of the light. A mountain was engulfed in blazing flames.

"No wonder it's so hot. It turns out this is a volcano," Goku exclaimed at the sight.

"We'd better get out of here quickly. Ox-King's Castle is just up ahead. Anyone who gets near it will be killed!" Oolong said nervously, sweating from the heat.

"Why is Ox-King's Castle in the middle of a fire?" Bulma asked curiously.

"I heard that all the gold and silver treasures Ox-King stole are in the castle. But one day, when he took his family out for a picnic, the castle suddenly caught fire, and even Ox-King himself couldn't get back in!" Oolong explained.

"Then the Dragon Ball should be inside the castle. This is a real problem," Goku said gravely, frowning.

Not far behind them, Yamcha and his pet had quietly followed them all the way here.

"Master Yamcha, why are we following them?" Puar asked, looking puzzled.

"How could I just let it go after that guy hurt me so badly last time?" Yamcha said, clenching his fist in frustration.

"Heh."

Yamcha chuckled coldly, then said calmly, "Looks like they've come to pick a fight with Ox-King. These young people have no idea how dangerous the world is; they dare to offend anyone. Let's stay back and enjoy the show!"

"Ah!"

"Help!"

Suddenly, a shrill, piercing cry rang out, and Yamcha spun around.

A huge purple dinosaur was chasing a little girl of about ten. Perhaps she was running too desperately, because she suddenly fell to the ground. A throwing knife on her helmet shot straight out and sliced the dinosaur's head off.

"What's that girl doing?"

"She's shouting for help, but she never stops attacking. How cruel!"

Yamcha and Puar were completely dumbfounded by the scene.

"H-hello!"

Yamcha greeted her warmly.

"Ah!"

Who would have thought that the moment the girl saw Yamcha, she would scream again? The throwing knife on her helmet flew straight at him.

Yamcha leaped in fright. The knife passed beneath him, missing his groin by a hair's breadth.

"You've gone too far!"

Yamcha flew into a rage. He moved swiftly and struck the girl hard on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

"Master Yamcha, why aren't you afraid of that girl?" Puar asked curiously.

"I'm not some perverted pedophile," Yamcha said casually, curling his lip.

"It's hot enough to kill us here. We're roasted before we can even get close. How are we supposed to find the Dragon Ball?" Bulma complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Can you stop shouting, you woman? If Ox-King hears you, we're all done for!" Oolong turned and scolded Bulma loudly.

"You coward. Ox-King has you so scared, but with Ziye and Goku here, there's nothing to worry about!" Bulma said disdainfully, curling her lip.

"Those two may be strong, but they absolutely aren't a match for Ox-King," Oolong said helplessly, looking dejected.

"The Dragon Radar says the Dragon Ball is inside the castle, but how are we supposed to get in and retrieve it?" Ziye asked, rubbing his chin in puzzlement.

"Goku, can you ride the Flying Nimbus in there and bring it out?" Bulma asked curiously.

"I'll have to try and see!"

"Flying Nimbus!"

With that, Goku shouted up at the sky.

"Idiot, I told you not to shout so loudly!" Oolong said urgently.

The next moment, Goku rode the Flying Nimbus toward the castle. But just as he was about to reach it, the flames suddenly surged up and burned his tail.

"Ouch! Hot, hot!"

In midair, Goku darted back and forth as the flames scalded him. Then he flew far away and landed in a lake.

"Looks like that won't work," Ziye said helplessly, spreading his hands.

Whoosh!

Just then, a huge axe tore through the air and came straight at Bulma.

"Bulma, watch out!"

Ziye shouted a warning and rushed forward, pulling Bulma into his arms. At the last possible moment, the axe grazed past them and buried itself in the wall.