Now Bulma could ride the cloud. That was much better than him being able to own the Flying Nimbus.
After all, Bulma wasn't very strong, so without a vehicle, she'd travel much more slowly.
But he was different. Even if he couldn't ride the Flying Nimbus,
he could run. He had plenty of stamina, and running would help him train, too.
He imagined Bulma soaring through the sky on the Flying Nimbus while he jogged along the ground after her,
training as they traveled. It was a win-win.
Finding the Dragon Balls would be much more convenient from now on.
At last, he wouldn't have to worry about transportation anymore.
Son Goku immediately praised her. "That's amazing, Bulma!
Hurry up and fly around to try it out."
Bulma knelt on the cloud, gripping its two raised bumps, and nodded at Goku.
The next moment, the Flying Nimbus took Bulma soaring through the air.
After all, she was a woman, and she wasn't as carefree as Goku.
Unlike an airplane, the Flying Nimbus didn't even have windows, so she was naturally afraid of falling off.
As they flew, the Flying Nimbus sensed her fear.
So it slowed down, no longer flying very fast, and kept a steady course instead.
Master Roshi looked up at Bulma in the sky.
She was wearing a skirt. If she stood on the cloud, he'd probably get quite a view.
But because she was timid,
she actually knelt on the Flying Nimbus, wrapped in golden clouds, without revealing anything.
What a shame.
Master Roshi couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
After circling around a few times, the Flying Nimbus brought Bulma safely back down.
Sea Turtle raised his head and looked at Master Roshi.
"That little boy carried me back. You should give him a thank-you gift."
Master Roshi scratched his head.
"I'm thinking about it!
The Phoenix is gone, and I don't have another cloud,
so let me think of something to give him..."
Just then, Bulma made a suggestion.
"Master Roshi,
could you give us the pearl around your neck?"
Chapter 10: The Flying Nimbus Had a Mind of Its Own
"The pearl?"
Master Roshi took the Dragon Ball from around his neck.
"You mean this thing?"
Bulma nodded.
Master Roshi said, "I found this at the bottom of the sea a hundred years ago,
and I made it into a necklace.
What do you think? It's pretty, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful."
As they spoke, the Dragon Ball in Master Roshi's hand suddenly began to glow.
Bulma and Goku both had Dragon Balls on them,
and when Dragon Balls drew close to one another, they reacted.
Seeing it glow, Master Roshi couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.
"Goodness, this thing actually glows! This is the first time I've ever seen that.
It must be a treasure. It's probably worth a lot, right?"
Bulma nodded again and looked at Master Roshi.
"You're right. This pearl is called a Dragon Ball.
There are seven of them in all, scattered around the world.
Once you collect all seven, you can summon Shenron,
who can grant any wish that isn't too outrageous.
The Dragon Balls are treasures, but one or two on their own aren't much use.
I've already collected three.
Once I've gathered them all, I'm going to wish for one of my friends to be cured."
As she spoke, Bulma took out the Dragon Ball she was carrying and showed it to Master Roshi.
When Master Roshi discovered that the Dragon Ball could glow, he'd been hoping to get a little more out of the deal to satisfy his lecherous tastes.
For instance, he could ask the pretty young girl in front of him for her panties.
But when Bulma took out her Dragon Ball
and explained that she wanted to gather them all to wish for her friend's recovery,
Master Roshi gave up on the indecent idea.
"So you want to save someone? In that case, you can have this pearl!"
Master Roshi took off the Dragon Ball and generously handed it to Bulma.
Bulma accepted the Dragon Ball without hesitation.
She knew Master Roshi well, which was why she'd put it that way.
He was a lecher.
But that little flaw didn't change the fact that he was a great man.
Bulma remembered that in her previous life, he'd usually acted like a fool.
But when Demon King Piccolo arrived, intending to rule the world through evil,
Master Roshi had stood up to him.
Without a moment's hesitation, he'd risked his life and used the Evil Containment Wave.
Although he hadn't succeeded,
Bulma had understood then
that Master Roshi might be a lecher, but deep down, he was a man of principle.
Goku was also a little surprised when he heard Bulma's wish.
He remembered that in the original story, Bulma's wish had been to find a boyfriend.
Yet the Bulma in front of him wasn't just more pure-hearted than the Bulma from his previous life;
her reason for searching for the Dragon Balls had changed, too.
She wasn't wishing for a boyfriend. She wanted to cure a friend.
That was a good thing,
but it didn't make Goku happy. Instead, it left him a little worried.
Son Goku pondered to himself,
Perhaps I've taken the place of the protagonist and changed fate.
*I stopped myself from turning into a Great Ape, which let Grandpa Gohan survive,
and that caused things in this world to turn out differently.*
It might seem like they hadn't left the mountain much,
but from the moment he changed his grandpa's fate,
the world had already begun to change without him realizing it.
Son Goku thought back to the original story again. Trunks had traveled back in time.
He'd only killed Frieza in Son Goku's place; he hadn't changed anything else in history.
And yet the world had quietly changed because of him.
For example, Androids 18 and 17, who'd wreaked havoc in the future, had actually become good people in this world.
Of course, there were plenty of other small changes, too.
At the thought, Son Goku couldn't help furrowing his brow.
It seemed history had already begun to change without him realizing it, ever since he'd arrived in this world.
He just hadn't known it.
It looked like the information he had about the future might not be so reliable from now on.
"Goku, let's go!"
Son Goku snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Bulma seemed ready to set off.
"Oh, let's go!"
As he spoke, Goku began loosening up his joints, ready to jog along after her again.
But Bulma stopped him.
"Goku, it's already noon.
Come ride the Flying Nimbus with me so we can get there faster!"
Son Goku froze.
"What's wrong with it being almost noon?"
Bulma smiled and said, "You do eat quite a lot.
When I cooked yesterday, I nearly cleared out the fridge and freezer.
We need to reach a big city before dark.
I have to buy some supplies, or the two of us will go hungry."
Son Goku suddenly understood.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I ate too much.
Maybe next time I should hunt something and cook it myself."
Bulma smiled faintly.
"It's fine. Go ahead and eat as much as you want.
You could eat a hundred times as much, and you still wouldn't bankrupt me.
We just happened to be running low on food yesterday.
Once we get to the city, we can stock up,
and the Capsules I use to store supplies have plenty of room."