"Ah~ I'm suddenly so sleepy~" After gulping down a big glass of sleep-inducing fruit juice, Bulma felt as if her eyelids had been filled with water. They were incredibly heavy. "Oolong, where's the bed? I'm going to sleep."
"U-Up... the stairs. Go up the stairs to the second floor," Oolong stammered, though all his attention was on Goku. This kid with his incredible power couldn't fall asleep now.
Whether the bandits from earlier would show up again was one thing. But if this kid's older brother found out that he'd drugged his little brother and knocked him out, he'd be in big trouble.
"Goku, I'm going upstairs to sleep. Keep an eye on this pig. Don't let him go upstairs!"
"W-Why...?" Goku asked between mouthfuls, completely baffled. If she wanted to sleep, she could sleep. Why couldn't someone go upstairs?
"Don't ask why. Didn't your brother tell you to protect me? Just do as I say. Ah~ Don't let Oolong go upstairs." After those final words, Bulma could hold out no longer. She went up to the camper's second floor and collapsed into bed.
After eating and drinking his fill, Goku sat back down on the sofa without saying a word, making Oolong uneasy. "G-Goku, are you all right?"
"I'm really full. Thanks for the food, Oolong."
"Hah... haha, of course. Um, well... you're still feeling alert, right? I mean, you're not sleepy yet, are you? How do you feel? Are you getting drowsy?" Oolong kept his eyes fixed on Goku's face and prayed to himself that the sleeping pills wouldn't work on this little monster.
"I was fine before, but now I'm a little sleepy." Goku blinked. He was feeling a bit drowsy too.
"You can't sleep! Whatever you do, don't fall asleep! Have you forgotten what Bulma said? If you fall asleep, I'll go upstairs!"
"Goku?"
"Goku!"
"Huh? What is it?" Goku's eyes kept closing and opening. The drug seemed to be taking effect.
"Oh, right! The Dragon Balls! Goku, if you fall asleep, I'll take the Dragon Balls!"
"Don't touch the Dragon Balls!" Goku immediately perked up and glared at Oolong. Oolong's legs trembled with fear. "I-I was joking. By the way, why are you looking for the Dragon Balls? Why do you get so tense whenever they come up?"
"If you gather all seven Dragon Balls, you can bring Grandpa back to life. If you dare go after the Dragon Balls, I won't let you get away with it!" Goku said fiercely, without holding anything back.
"Bring your grandpa back to life? Your grandpa is Son Gohan, isn't he? Is he dead? Wait, are you saying that collecting all seven Dragon Balls can bring the dead back to life?"
"That's right. Bulma said that once you gather all seven Dragon Balls, you can make any wish. My big brother and I are searching with Bulma so we can bring Grandpa back..."
"Who's there?!" Before Goku could finish, he sensed movement outside the camper and charged out at once. "It's you!"
"Come on! Let's fight again!" Goku was raring to go, and his Origin Soul stirred as well, dispelling the effects of the sleeping pills.
"Oh no, I got carried away," Yamcha muttered. Hearing the secret about the Dragon Balls had excited him so much that he'd let himself get spotted.
That was right. Goku's perception had improved a little from practicing the Nine Origin General Knowledge Art. Of course, it was nowhere near as sharp as Wuchen's after practicing it in two lifetimes. He couldn't sense an enemy approaching through their energy alone.
"Haha, I'm not here to fight you. I came especially to apologize and make peace." For some reason, Yamcha's expression had changed. He looked almost obsequious, leaving Puar and Oolong, who was peering over the camper door, completely dumbfounded.
"Really?" Goku stared wide-eyed at him, making Yamcha feel guilty. Fortunately, Goku spoke again. "So it's true. Bad people become good once they've been defeated, just like Oolong."
"Ha... haha, of course, of course. I've changed. I won't do bad things anymore. Can you forgive me for what I did earlier?" Yamcha looked at Goku hopefully and gave him a sincere smile.
"My big brother said that correcting your mistakes is the greatest good. Since you know you were wrong, I won't hit you again." Goku returned Yamcha's sincerity in kind.
Yamcha didn't understand what he meant, but he nodded repeatedly all the same. "That's great. Thanks for forgiving me. It's getting late. You should go back and rest. We'll be heading back too."
"Okay. See you next time." Goku happily returned to the camper.
"Master Yamcha, you..."
"Puar, let's go." Cutting Puar off, Yamcha pulled him along. But as they passed the rear of the camper, he attached a tiny tracking device to it.
"Puar, did you hear that? The Dragon Balls can grant wishes! I... I finally have a chance to get rid of my problem with women!" Only after they'd put some distance between themselves and the camper could Yamcha no longer contain his excitement.
"Let's follow them secretly. Once they've gathered all seven Dragon Balls, we..."
While Yamcha made his plans, Wuchen continued tracking Mai and Shu. At last, they stopped at dawn the next day. Before him stood a towering castle!
"So this is their hideout? Including those two, I can sense only three people?" Looking at the vast, towering structure, Wuchen felt puzzled. Why were there only three people, and why were their energies so weak?
Puzzled or not, Wuchen slipped inside without hesitation.
He climbed the wall with ease and headed toward the three energies gathered together.
"Useless! You two have really disappointed me!" It was King Pilaf speaking. Seeing Mai and Shu return empty-handed, Pilaf, who had been enjoying a lavish meal, instantly lost his appetite.
He pressed a button beside his seat, and several mechanical arms seized Mai and Shu. The two hurriedly begged for mercy. "Please spare us, King Pilaf! We failed in our duty. Please give us another chance!"
Pilaf ignored them and pressed another button. The top of the castle opened like a lychee, and some unknown device sprang into action. Thunder roared, and bolts of lightning struck Mai and Shu, making them scream in agony!
"This is what happens when you fail to carry out your orders! Do you two know you were wrong now?" Pilaf said viciously. As a staunch self-proclaimed would-be ruler of the world, he understood how to keep his subordinates in line better than anyone: authority! He had to establish enough authority!
"We were wrong! We were wrong!" The two were close to tears. They hadn't denied their mistake even once!
"This is just a little punishment. If you..." Pilaf grew more and more carried away, waving his ladle with the air of a man directing the fate of the world.
"Ah... Ooh...!" But lightning showed no mercy. It struck the ladle, turning Pilaf into a charred lump as well. His authority was utterly destroyed in an instant!
How strange. The power of thunder has been reduced to this? Wuchen had witnessed the whole scene from outside the window.
Before you continue