Desert Bandit Yamcha, Embarrassment Seen Through

The car jolted through the yellow sand.

Endless and boundless.

The sun overhead was merciless, and the heat haze warped everything in sight.

Even with the air conditioning turned to full blast, it was still hot.

"How much longer do we have to drive through this godforsaken place?!"

Bulma irritably raked her fingers through her hair, her bangs soaked with sweat.

The glowing dot on the Dragon Ball Radar was right in the middle of the desert.

But there was nothing around them except sand.

Oolong in the back seat had already wilted, sprawled across the seat and whimpering.

"So hot... I'm gonna die... I need water..."

Only Son Goku was still full of energy.

He did not stay inside the sweltering car.

Riding the Flying Nimbus, he circled above the vehicle and surveyed this yellow world.

Lin Xuan closed his eyes and went all-in, spending his merit points in exchange for insights into the Tao Te Ching. Another huge flood of insight-filled visions surged into his mind.

The power of his soul grew increasingly solid, and his senses became sharper as well.

Awesome!

The harsh conditions outside had no effect on him at all now.

Through his senses, he detected that the desert beneath them was not silent.

He heard the sound of sand scorpions crawling.

And another hurried sound was rapidly approaching.

"It's coming. Bulma, be careful."

Lin Xuan opened his eyes.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air from behind a sand dune.

A rocket trailing flames came screaming toward them.

Its target was the car.

"Ah!"

Bulma screamed and yanked the steering wheel.

Boom!

The rocket grazed the rear of the car, plunged into the sand, and exploded into a fireball.

The blast kicked up yellow sand, and the shockwave shoved the car sideways by half a meter.

"Enemy attack!"

Bulma's face went pale. She slammed on the brakes and hurriedly fumbled out her pistol.

Son Goku jumped down from the Flying Nimbus, his face full of excitement.

"Who is it? Who's attacking us?"

As the dust settled.

Two figures stood atop a distant sand dune.

One was a tall man with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead, dressed in an orange martial arts uniform.

Beside him floated a small blue creature that looked like a cat.

The man rested an enormous rocket launcher on his shoulder, looked down at them, and grinned.

"I built this road, I planted this tree! If you want to pass through here, leave behind your toll!"

He struck a pose and shouted his slogan.

"Hand over your Hoi-Poi Capsules and anything valuable! Otherwise, you won't be so lucky with the next shell!"

When Bulma and Oolong saw this through the car window, they shrank back in fright.

"R-robbers!"

The man saw the gun Bulma had extended from the window and laughed.

"Before my Wolf Fang Fist, that thing of yours is nothing but a poker!"

Puar beside him waved his little fists in agreement.

"That's right! Lord Yamcha is the strongest in the desert!"

"Wolf Fang Fist? That sounds really powerful!"

Before Yamcha could show off any further, Son Goku had already charged out and pointed at him.

"Hey! You! Fight me!"

Yamcha froze for a moment, then looked the tailed kid over and burst out laughing.

"Kid, you're still wet behind the ears and you want to fight? Go home and drink your milk! I don't have time to play with you!"

Son Goku hated being treated like a child most of all, and he got angry.

"Damn it! Take this!"

With a shout, he pushed off the ground and rushed at Yamcha.

Yamcha hadn't expected the kid to be so fast.

He tossed aside the rocket launcher and assumed a fighting stance.

"You're asking for it!"

In an instant, the two collided.

Son Goku threw a straight punch, the wind whistling around it.

Yamcha twisted aside to evade it, his hand forming a claw as he grabbed for Son Goku's shoulder.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

Yamcha roared, his fists blurring into countless claw-like afterimages as they lunged at Son Goku.

The wind from his blows howled, terrifyingly forceful.

Son Goku couldn't quite keep up with the speed and could only raise both arms to protect his vital spots.

Bang bang bang!

A barrage of impacts rang out.

"Whoa! So fast!"

Son Goku was both startled and delighted, still finding time to praise his opponent amid the fight.

His opponent's strength made the Saiyan blood in his body boil.

By the car, Bulma and Oolong were both dumbfounded.

Bulma in particular covered her mouth.

"Goku can't even fight back?"

In her mind, Son Goku had always been a little monster. She hadn't expected him to meet an opponent today.

That desert bandit named Yamcha was actually able to trade blows with Goku—and even had the upper hand.

Lin Xuan leaned against the car door, calmly watching the battle.

There wasn't the slightest ripple in his expression, as if he were watching a movie whose ending he already knew.

"What a shame. His fighting power isn't bad, but he has one fatal weakness."

The battle reached a fever pitch. Fists and kicks flew as sand billowed through the air.

Yamcha spotted an opening and kicked Son Goku flying.

"It's over! Take this!"

Pressing his advantage, he spun through the air, preparing to deliver the final blow to Son Goku.

Now.

Lin Xuan looked toward Bulma in the car and spoke evenly.

"Bulma, the engine is making a strange noise. Something's loose. You'd better get out and take a look. It'll be trouble if the car breaks down."

"Huh? A strange noise?"

Bulma was startled.

If the car broke down in this desert, they'd be finished.

She immediately pushed open the door and jumped out.

"Where? Where's the sound coming from?"

She bent down, preparing to lie flat and listen to the engine.

In midair, Yamcha, who was about to unleash his finishing move, caught sight of a figure stepping out of the car from the corner of his eye.

A girl in a pink dress, with sky-blue hair.

In an instant, Yamcha's brain shut down.

Time stopped.

He remained frozen in mid-kick.

All killing intent vanished like smoke.

A blush shot from the base of his neck straight to the top of his head.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"G-g-girl..."

Yamcha's lips trembled, and he couldn't form a complete sentence.

Son Goku, who had been kicked away, climbed back up and looked curiously at the man frozen in midair.

"Hey! Why aren't you moving?"

Bulma straightened up as well, staring at the bandit in confusion.

"What's wrong with this guy? Why is his face so red? Heatstroke?"

Under everyone's gaze...

Yamcha's teenage heart shattered.

His body lost its balance, and with a thud, he fell face-first into the sand.

The entire area fell silent.

Puar flew over and anxiously shook him.

"Lord Yamcha! Lord Yamcha, what's wrong?!"

Yamcha suddenly lifted his head from the sand, his face full of terror. Not daring to look at Bulma again, he scrambled to his feet.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

With a shriek, he turned and ran.

He was three times faster than when he had arrived, vanishing behind the dunes in an instant and leaving only a trail of dust behind.

Puar froze for a moment, then shouted, "Lord Yamcha, wait for me!" before transforming into a small spaceship and chasing after him.

Only Son Goku, Bulma, and Oolong remained, standing there with utterly baffled expressions.

"He ran away?"

Son Goku looked disappointed. He hadn't had enough of the fight yet.

"What a weird guy."

Bulma couldn't understand what had just happened.

She turned to look at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan smiled.

"Perhaps his heart was in turmoil."

Again!

Another one of those mystical explanations she couldn't understand!

Bulma's mind was practically tied in knots.

Yet her awe of Lin Xuan deepened another layer.

The group continued on their way, and by dusk, they finally found an oasis.

Night fell, and the sky filled with stars.

The campfire crackled. Bulma and Oolong were already asleep.

Son Goku had fallen asleep too.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged beside the fire.

He spread out his senses and carefully listened to the sounds around him.

His brow twitched.

In the shadows at the edge of the oasis, a familiar presence appeared.

That presence was slowly approaching the camp.

It was Yamcha.

He had come back.