Krillin the Bald-Headed

An unusual sound drew closer. The three of them, who had been eating and discussing their training, rushed out of the house, bowls still in hand.

"Mr. Sea Turtle!" Wuchen sensed three approaching presences at once, and one of them was Sea Turtle's.

It was because of Sea Turtle that the two brothers had first met Master Roshi and obtained their third Dragon Ball.

"Rat-a-tat-tat~" Before anyone could react, the sound rang out again.

"You pervert! Don't run!" At the same time, a woman's voice with a distinctly masculine edge rang out.

In the next instant, the three saw a blonde woman chasing a boy and a turtle, a submachine gun in each hand.

"Master, save me!" It was Sea Turtle's voice. At that moment, he was being carried on someone's back.

The one carrying him was a bald little boy. He was unusual too—he didn't even have a nose!

"Master Mutaito? Is that you, Master Mutaito? Please save us!" The bald boy had also spotted Master Roshi and the others, and hurriedly called for help.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!" At the same time, another spray of bullets shot toward the boy and Sea Turtle.

Wuchen hurriedly waved his hand, and a wall of earth rose from the ground. A muffled rumble followed as the bullets struck the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Th-that's amazing! Is this what Master Mutaito's disciples can do? Is that a Turtle School technique?!" The boy had nerves of steel. Not only had he avoided wetting himself, he even found time to comment.

Then the boy's vision blurred. Several figures appeared around him and Sea Turtle at once, lifting them both up, bowls still in their hands.

The boy was stunned. So graceful, so composed, so confident!

"Master Mutaito, my name is Krillin. I came all the way from East City to study under you. Please accept me as your pupil." That was right—this was Krillin, the romantic rival of a good portion of Dragon Ball fans.

"Ah-choo!" A sneeze drowned out Krillin's voice.

Everyone turned toward its source. The blonde woman had been caught in the dust cloud and sneezed.

But it wasn't the sneeze itself that drew their attention.

That tough-looking blonde woman had sneezed once—and transformed into a quiet, blue-haired young lady!

"Ah!" Not only had her appearance changed, her personality had too. She was so frightened by the gun in her hands that she fell onto the ground.

"Goku, don't look!" Wuchen hurriedly pulled Goku around. The woman was wearing a skirt, and when she fell, she had given them quite a view.

"Oh, dear, dear. Little miss, what are you doing all alone up in the mountains? Let me check you over and see if you're hurt."

Master Mutaito, the martial arts master, Master Roshi, was a kindhearted man.

He rushed over at once, eagerly checking the young woman from top to bottom... and back again.

With that worried look on his face, he seemed... as though he really was afraid she might hurt him by sitting on his butt.

"..." Wuchen opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He knew about Master Roshi's peculiar habits. During their month of training, Master Roshi would watch certain special programs on that box called a television.

And once, while they were out delivering something, the old man had been just as shameless. He hadn't gone too far, but it had still been disgraceful.

"What's your name, little miss? Oh, right, we live up there. Would you like to come sit and rest for a while?" No matter what Wuchen thought, Master Roshi had already invited her.

"Hello, sir. My name is Launch." That's right, this was Launch. She had a bloodline even more advanced than a Saiyan's, and could transform just by sneezing!

Launch didn't refuse Master Roshi's invitation. She readily agreed to be their guest.

Seeing this, Wuchen found himself even less able to say anything.

Before long, they had all returned to the house.

"Mr. Sea Turtle, what happened?" Since Master Roshi was doing nothing but focusing on Launch, Wuchen had to ask what had happened himself.

As Sea Turtle recounted the story, Wuchen gradually understood the situation.

The others had left Turtle Hermit Island to train. They hadn't brought Sea Turtle along, but would occasionally pick him up and bring him over for a visit.

Then, two days ago, Sea Turtle had been sunbathing on Turtle Hermit Island. That little bald boy named Krillin had suddenly shown up, saying he had come all this way to become a pupil.

Seeing that he was sincere, Sea Turtle had shown him the way.

But just as they were about to reach this island, a speedboat that looked as though it was fleeing for its life slammed into the shore, launching them onto land.

The blonde woman driving the speedboat had been thrown out when it went out of control, landing right on Krillin's bald head. And she was wearing a skirt, too.

So she chased Krillin and Sea Turtle all the way here.

"An out-of-control speedboat crashed into you?" Wuchen looked at Launch, chatting happily with Master Roshi. His attention settled on the bulging pouch at her waist.

This woman didn't look like a good person. At least, her blonde-haired self wasn't one!

"How about staying here and living with us? There's something I forgot to tell you: we're training right now. I'm Master Mutaito, known as the God of Martial Arts. Would you like me to train you, too?"

Once he felt they had talked enough, Master Roshi made his invitation.

Launch clearly hesitated. She had apparently never heard the title God of Martial Arts before.

"I'm willing! I'm willing! Master Mutaito, please accept me as your pupil!" Krillin, on the other hand, dropped to his knees with a thump and kowtowed seven or eight times without stopping.

Master Roshi went back to being a hypocrite. "I'm afraid I can't accept pupils so easily. Give up and go home."

Faced with Master Roshi's refusal, Krillin remained remarkably calm. He slowly took the bundle from his back and opened it, revealing the corner of what looked like a book cover. "Master Mutaito, could I speak with you in private?"

The corner he revealed worked like a charm. Master Roshi actually took a step aside and spoke with Krillin alone.

Then everyone heard a baffling exchange:

"Oh! Good, good. Do you have any more?"

"Yes, yes. This one, and this one too. And there's more..."

This piqued Launch's curiosity. Was this old man really that impressive? Why was someone so eager to become his pupil?

Curious, Launch began looking around the room. When she met Wuchen's scrutinizing gaze, she gave him a warm smile.

"..." Wuchen didn't know what to do with himself. Oh well, he'd just treat them as two completely different people: the blue-haired one and the blonde-haired one.

"Good! Very good! You really are sincere about becoming my pupil. I'll accept you." On the other side of the room, Krillin had won Master Roshi over with a carefully selected stack of books.

As for Launch, she still hadn't become a pupil, but she agreed to stay.

She actually had a rough idea of what was happening to her. Whenever she sneezed, she lost consciousness. When she came to, she would be somewhere else, doing something else.

Most likely, after she sneezed, she turned into "another person."

So it didn't really matter where she stayed, as long as she didn't sneeze.

"Ah-choo!"