"Ka... me... ha... me... ha..."
A faint aura began to swirl around Goku, and an invisible wave of energy coiled around him.
A bright blue-white light glimmered in his palms.
Ox-King, Chi-Chi, and Bulma held their breath as they watched.
Ox-King said eagerly, "Ah, it really is the Kamehameha!
Watch closely—the shockwave's about to come~!"
"Ha..."
In the blink of an eye, the glowing sphere in Son Goku's palms burst into brilliant light.
He thrust both hands forward, and a dazzling energy wave roared toward the flames.
"Boom!"
As the blast struck Fire Mountain, it kicked up a tempest.
The violent gust was too strong for them to look at directly. They shielded their eyes, their feet braced firmly against the ground.
After a deafening explosion, even the sky changed color.
The horizon, once red from the flames, returned to a clear, brilliant blue.
A cool breeze swept by, and the air turned refreshing in an instant.
When they looked back at Fire Mountain, all that remained beneath the blue sky was a bare castle standing alone.
Son Goku let out a breath, his muscles relaxing.
"Phew! I did it!"
Chi-Chi's face lit up with delight. Her eyes shone even brighter as she looked at Goku.
"Goku, you're really amazing!"
Ox-King gave him a thumbs-up, too.
"Goku, you're incredible!
You must have trained really hard. You're almost as strong as your senior."
Bulma looked at the castle, which was nearly undamaged, and smiled with satisfaction.
Goku was still young, and his energy wave wasn't as powerful as Master Roshi's. That was exactly why he hadn't destroyed the castle.
The result couldn't have been better.
Now it would be easier to find the Dragon Balls, and Ox-King's family wouldn't go bankrupt because of this.
Chi-Chi could enjoy a wealthy life for a long time yet.
Hopefully, she'd grow up to be a real little princess,
and wouldn't turn out as fierce as she had in her previous life.
Once the heat had died down, everyone headed to Ox-King's castle.
All of his treasures were safe, and Bulma had obtained the sixth Dragon Ball.
Ox-King sent people to buy lots of ingredients,
then held a feast at the castle to entertain Goku and Bulma.
The castle stayed brightly lit for three whole days and nights.
It wasn't until dawn on the fourth day that Bulma and Goku finally left the castle.
On the Flying Nimbus.
"Goku!"
"Hm?"
"Do you want to marry Chi-Chi when you grow up?"
"I haven't thought about it."
"Why not? She'd probably make a good wife."
"Chi-Chi's a good girl, sure,
but I want to get stronger and keep training. I might not have time to spend with her,
so I think marrying her when I grow up would only hurt her..."
Bulma stared at Son Goku in shock.
She hadn't expected the young Goku in this life to be so thoughtful.
Goku turned to look at Bulma.
"What's wrong, Bulma?"
Bulma shook her head. "Nothing. I didn't expect you to think things through so carefully at your age,
but you're right. It shows you're being considerate of Chi-Chi."
"Bulma, can you go a little faster...?"
"Sure..."
Without even realizing it, Bulma's lips had curled into a broad, happy smile.
Chapter 21: Blown Up by Her Daughter-in-Law
Near Pilaf's base,
Mai stood atop a giant plant,
using an instrument to track Bulma and Goku's direction—and, by extension, the Dragon Balls'.
That's right, this bunch of clowns had built an accurate Dragon Radar, too.
She picked up the communicator. "King Pilaf, I've detected a Dragon Ball signal at location 15.
After checking from several angles, it seems their mode of transportation is a golden cloud..."
"Good, that's them. Prepare for battle!"
"Understood!"
Mai hung up and contacted Shu.
"Attention, attention. The Dragon Balls are moving at a steady pace.
This is our one chance to intercept them.
Aim the missile along the Dragon Balls' projected path. Fire."
Goku and Bulma passed through a town belonging to the Rabbit Mob.
Following Bulma's instructions, Goku easily dealt with the Rabbit Mob,
without wasting much energy. Besides, the Radar showed that the Dragon Ball was close.
So they kept going without taking a break,
hoping to get the last Dragon Ball before nightfall.
After all, the Flying Nimbus was on autopilot.
At that moment, the two of them were lying on the Flying Nimbus, fast asleep.
While they slept soundly, a missile struck the Flying Nimbus.
With a muffled bang, the cloud scattered.
Bulma and Son Goku jolted awake, only to find themselves falling.
At the same time, the pouch of Dragon Balls on Bulma's body scattered.
After falling for a while, Bulma finally came to her senses. This wasn't a dream.
Bulma shouted, "Goku, help!"
Goku rubbed his eyes. His thoughts were a little slow, but he seemed to understand what had happened.
Someone had hit their Flying Nimbus, and now they were both falling.
But he still couldn't fly, so there was nothing he could do for the moment.
Even if he hit the ground, he wouldn't die.
But Bulma wouldn't be so lucky.
The instant Bulma cried for help, Son Goku grabbed her and held her tight.
"Bulma! Hold on to me!"
Son Goku pulled out the Power Pole with one hand and shouted, "Power Pole, extend!"
In an instant, the Power Pole shot outward.
By then, Bulma had locked both her legs around Goku.
With his hands free, Goku gripped the Power Pole
and swung it hard at the giant mushroom-shaped plant.
"Crack! Crack!"
The giant plant split apart under the Power Pole.
But Goku had achieved his goal: he used the shattered plant to slow their fall.
One end of the Power Pole struck the plant and kept going, splitting it from the top all the way down.
The split reached the plant's roots, stopping only when it hit the ground.
That gave Goku and Bulma enough time to slow down.
A moment later, they landed safely.
Bulma's legs were weak. She sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Pant, pant...
That was so dangerous. I was terrified just now..."
Bulma spoke with lingering fear.
She discreetly checked herself, too.
Good. She hadn't wet herself this time.
After spending several days on the Flying Nimbus, she was much braver than before.
Goku stood up and looked around for their enemy.
A plane came into view in the distance,
but it was already getting farther away.
Son Goku pointed at the plane. "Bulma, they're the ones who blew up the Flying Nimbus.
That's why we fell. They stole the Dragon Balls."
Bulma jumped and felt the pouch at her side.
Sure enough, the Dragon Balls had been stolen when they fell.
"Oh no, the Dragon Balls we worked so hard to collect are really gone!"
Bulma looked up at the plane and shouted, "Goku, hurry and use the Power Pole to knock it down!"
But the moment she finished speaking, Bulma fell silent.
She'd recognized the plane—and the pilot aboard it.