Straight to the Dragon's Lair

"Haa~ah~, I'm suddenly so sleepy~." After downing a large glass of sleep-inducing juice, Bulma felt as if her eyelids had been weighted down with lead. "Oolong, where's the bed? I'm going to sleep."

"St...stairs, follow the stairs to the second floor," Oolong stammered, though his attention remained entirely on Goku. He couldn't let this boy with the terrifying combat power fall asleep right now.

Whether the bandits from the day would return was one thing, but if this guy's older brother found out he had drugged his younger brother, he would be in deep trouble.

"Goku, I'm going upstairs to sleep. Keep an eye on this pig and don't you dare let him come up!"

"Wh...why..." Goku replied while stuffing his face, looking completely bewildered. If she wanted to sleep, she should just sleep; why couldn't anyone else go up?

"Don't ask why. Didn't your brother tell you to protect me? Just listen to me. Haa~ah~, whatever you do, don't let Oolong come upstairs." Having said that, Bulma could no longer hold on; she climbed to the second floor of the camper and collapsed into bed.

Once Goku had eaten his fill, he sat back down on the sofa without a word, making Oolong feel extremely uneasy. "Wu...Goku, are you alright?"

"I'm very full, thank you for the food, Oolong."

"Ha...haha, it's nothing. Uh, say, your energy... I mean, you shouldn't be wanting to sleep yet, right? How about it? Are you feeling drowsy?" Staring at Goku's face the entire time, Oolong prayed internally that the sleeping pills wouldn't work on this monster of a kid.

"I was fine before, but now I'm a little sleepy." Blinking his eyes, Goku also felt a bit groggy.

"You can't sleep! You absolutely cannot sleep! Have you forgotten what Bulma said? If you fall asleep, I'm going upstairs!"

"Goku?"

"Goku!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Goku's eyes drifted shut and then opened again; the effects of the drug seemed to be taking hold.

"That's it! The Dragon Ball! The Dragon Ball! Goku, if you fall asleep, I'm going to take the Dragon Ball away!"

"Don't you touch the Dragon Ball!" Goku instantly perked up, glaring at Oolong with such intensity that the pig's legs began to tremble. "I... I was just joking. Say, why are you guys looking for the Dragon Balls? You get so nervous whenever they're mentioned."

"If we collect all seven Dragon Balls, I can bring my grandpa back to life. If you dare to scheme against the Dragon Ball, I'll never forgive you!" Goku declared fiercely, holding nothing back.

"Bring your grandpa back to life? Isn't your grandpa Sun Wufan? Is he dead? Wait, are you saying that collecting seven Dragon Balls can bring dead people back to life?"

"That's right, Bulma said so. As long as you collect all seven, you can make any wish. To bring Grandpa back, my big brother and I have been searching with Bulma..."

"Who's there?!" Before Goku could finish his sentence, he sensed movement outside the vehicle and immediately charged out. "It's you!"

"Come on, let's fight again!" Goku was eager to try, and his 'Origin Soul' stirred in response, dispelling the effects of the sleeping pill.

"Damn it, I got carried away." Yamcha cursed his luck. Because he had heard the secret of the Dragon Balls, he had been too excited and ended up being detected.

Yes, Goku's perception had improved after practicing the Nine Origin General Knowledge Art, though it wasn't as sharp as Wuchen's, who had practiced it for two lifetimes; he couldn't sense an enemy's approach solely by their aura.

"Haha, I'm not here to fight you. This time, I've come specifically to apologize and make amends." For some reason, Yamcha's expression changed, appearing almost fawning, which left Puar and Oolong—who was pressed against the door—completely baffled.

"Really?" Goku stared with wide eyes, making Yamcha feel guilty. Fortunately, Goku spoke again: "So that's how it is. Bad guys turn into good guys once they're beaten, just like Oolong."

"Ha, haha, of course, of course. I've turned over a new leaf and won't do bad things anymore. Can you forgive me for the mistake I made during the day?" Yamcha looked at Goku expectantly, wearing a sincere smile.

"My big brother said that knowing one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue. Since you know you were wrong, I won't hit you anymore." Faced with sincerity, Goku responded with sincerity.

Although Yamcha didn't quite understand, he nodded repeatedly. "That's great, thank you for forgiving me. It's getting late, you should go back and rest. We'll be heading off too."

"Alright, see you next time." Goku happily returned to the camper.

"Master Yamcha, you..."

"Puar, let's go." Cutting Puar off, Yamcha pulled him away, but as they passed the back of the vehicle, he planted a miniature signal transmitter on it.

"Puar, did you hear that? Dragon Balls that can grant wishes! I... I finally have a chance to get rid of this problem where I get nervous whenever I see a woman!" Once they were far from the camper, Yamcha could no longer hide his inner excitement.

"We'll follow them secretly. Once they collect all seven Dragon Balls, we will..."

Setting aside Yamcha's plans, Wuchen continued to track Shu and Mai. Finally, at dawn the next day, they stopped in front of a towering castle!

"Is this their lair? There are only three auras, including those two?" Looking at the massive, imposing structure, Wuchen was somewhat puzzled. How could there only be three people, and with such weak auras?

Of course, doubt was just doubt; Wuchen slipped inside without hesitation.

Following the walls, Wuchen climbed up with ease and headed toward the three auras gathered together.

"Useless! You two have truly disappointed me!" The one speaking was none other than Emperor Pilaf. Seeing Shu and Mai return empty-handed, Pilaf, who had been enjoying a grand feast, instantly lost his appetite.

He pressed a button beside his seat, and several mechanical claws seized Shu and Mai. Terrified, the two begged for mercy: "Please, Emperor Pilaf, spare us! Your subordinates are incompetent, please give us one more chance!"

Pilaf ignored them and pressed another button. Immediately, the top of the castle cracked open like a lychee, and an unknown device activated. Thunder rumbled, and bolts of lightning struck Shu and Mai, causing them to scream in agony!

"This is the price for failing to get the job done! You two, do you know you were wrong now?" Pilaf snarled. As a firm believer in his own world domination, he understood the art of management best: authority! One must establish sufficient authority!

"We were wrong! We were wrong!" The two were on the verge of tears; they had been admitting their mistakes from the very beginning.

"This was just a small punishment for you. If..." Pilaf grew more enthusiastic, waving his soup spoon with the air of someone commanding an empire.

"Ah... Oo... Ouch!" However, the lightning was merciless, striking the soup spoon and turning Pilaf into a charred mess along with it. In an instant, his authority was swept away!

Strange, the power of the thunder is surprisingly weak. This scene was taken in entirely by Wuchen from outside the window.