She realized at once
that this world was already a little different from the one she had come from.
In her previous life, Son Gohan had died, but in this one, he was still alive.
With someone to raise him, naturally he could teach Goku a lot.
That was why this Goku seemed so sensible.
In her previous life, after Goku and Vegeta had fought,
Son Goku learned the truth about his grandfather's death.
Saiyans turned into Great Apes whenever they saw a full moon.
And as a Low-Class Warrior, Son Goku would lose consciousness when he transformed into a Great Ape.
So when he was little, he had lost control after transforming,
and accidentally killed his grandfather, Son Gohan.
Bulma and the others naturally knew about this secret, too.
When they fought Pilaf's gang, Goku transformed into a Great Ape once.
When he woke up, he couldn't remember a thing about being transformed.
Later, Goku transformed into a Great Ape again at the Tournament.
Luckily, Master Roshi used a Kamehameha to push the moon away.
Otherwise, who knew what kind of damage Goku might have caused if he'd lost control in front of so many people!
Well, things were different from her previous life, but this seemed pretty good, too.
Bulma came out of her thoughts and smiled. "Sorry for the trouble!"
Goku could naturally tell that Bulma seemed to be considering something.
After all, she was just a girl, and she couldn't fight.
It was perfectly normal to be a little wary when traveling.
So Goku didn't rush her.
A moment later, Goku led Bulma to the top of the mountain.
A little house came into view.
Wanting to give his grandfather some warning, Son Goku shouted as soon as they reached the top:
"Grandpa! Grandpa!
I brought a girl home to visit!"
A moment later, Son Goku, Bulma, and Son Gohan sat around the table.
A Four-Star Dragon Ball rested in the middle of it.
Son Gohan took a deep breath.
"This world is full of wonders, Goku.
There are plenty of skilled martial artists down the mountain.
You can spar with them and learn a thing or two.
You're not so little anymore, and you've grown strong through your training.
Go down the mountain with Bulma and get some experience."
Son Goku looked at Son Gohan reluctantly and asked, "What about you, Grandpa?
Will you be staying here by yourself?"
Son Gohan smiled. "Don't worry about me.
Fortuneteller Baba came to see me a while ago.
She said she wanted to hire a few security guards.
Anyone who can fight is welcome, no matter their age. The monthly salary is a hundred thousand, with full benefits.
And if you do a good job,
you can even get promoted to tending the furnace for Grand Supreme Elder Lord.
Once you go down the mountain, I'll have to start work.
It's not every day you get an opportunity like this."
Bulma could tell that Son Gohan supported Goku going down the mountain, and her eyes brightened.
"They even offer full benefits? That's great. It's much better than farming here."
Son Gohan looked at Bulma, then at Goku.
He smiled. "That's right. Bulma's right. A good job is much better than farming.
Goku, Bulma's a girl, and you're a young man.
You need to protect girls from now on, understand?"
Son Goku nodded.
"Got it, Grandpa!
I'll make sure to protect her."
Son Gohan nodded in satisfaction. "All right. All good things must come to an end. No matter how much we say, we still have to part."
He turned to Bulma, picked up the Four-Star Dragon Ball, and handed it to her.
"Since you're collecting Dragon Balls, you can take this one.
Goku has a big appetite, so you'll have to be patient with him."
Bulma excitedly took the Dragon Ball and bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you, Grandpa!
I'll take good care of Goku, too!"
At last, Goku accompanied Bulma on her journey to find the Dragon Balls.
However, while Bulma raced along on her motorcycle,
Goku ran alongside her, a heavy turtle shell strapped to his back.
After they'd traveled for a while, Bulma couldn't help asking,
"Hey, Goku! Isn't running like this exhausting?
Are you sure you don't want to hop on?"
Son Goku ran as he answered, "No, I'm not getting on.
I want to run more. It'll count as training!
Grandpa said there are lots of strong people out there.
I have to work hard enough if I want to get stronger."
Watching Goku train so earnestly, Bulma was speechless.
With Son Gohan around, this Goku was so different from the one in her previous life.
He wasn't just more sensible; he was even more dedicated to training than before.
Bulma had wanted to talk him out of it.
But thinking about the enemies who would appear one after another in the future, and the crises that would come one after another,
she gave up on stopping him.
Better to sweat now than bleed later.
Besides, this Little Goku seemed to enjoy training more.
There was just one thing that worried her:
Goku seemed to be pushing himself too hard.
Bulma knew that after he took part in the World Martial Arts Tournament one day,
he would do something as absurd as swimming across the ocean.
But seeing such a young Goku work so hard made her worry for him.
She wondered if his Saiyan body could withstand training this intense at such a young age!
The two kept going, soon leaving Mount Paozu out of sight.
The sun set, and night quickly fell.
Bulma stopped the motorcycle.
"Goku, are you hungry?
It's dark already. Let's stay here tonight!"
Only when she mentioned food did Goku stop and rub his stomach.
"Grrr, grrr..."
Sure enough, the moment he stopped running, his stomach began to growl.
Son Goku scratched his head sheepishly. "I've been running for most of the day. I knew I'd forgotten something!
I was so focused on keeping up with you that I forgot to eat..."
Bulma smiled faintly, got off, and put the motorcycle into a Capsule.
She looked around, then said,
"Yeah, this spot is nice and flat. It'll be perfect for the house.
Goku, stand behind me. I'm going to throw it."
Knowing it was a Capsule House, Goku obediently stood behind Bulma.
Bulma opened the Capsule and tossed it. After a "bang!",
a large, domed house appeared in front of them.
Bulma looked at Goku.
"Well?
Isn't the Capsule House I brought great?"
Son Goku nodded.
"Yeah, it's great. That's amazing."
Bulma asked curiously, "Huh, you don't look surprised at all.
Do you know about Capsule Houses?"
Son Goku nodded. "Yeah. Grandpa took me into the city once, and I saw one at the Portable House Shop.
Too bad we didn't have enough money, or we would've bought one and put it on the mountain.
Later, Grandpa and I bought some materials, cut down trees, and rebuilt the house ourselves."
Bulma understood. "Oh, I see."
Bulma continued, "All right, come inside. You've been running all day,
and you're covered in sweat. Your clothes are dirty, too.