Raising the Curtain

In a corner of a silent forest, a young boy sat cross-legged on a rock in the clearing beside a stream, looking as though he were asleep.

Not far away, a blue pterosaur flying through the sky beat its wings and spotted him. "A human... It's been so long since I tasted human flesh."

"Hahaha! Sleeping out in such an open place? Then I'll gladly take him."

The blue pterosaur beat its wings, changed direction, and dived. Once it reached the right height, it stretched out its two huge claws and grabbed at the boy.

Just as the claws were inches away and the pterosaur was already imagining how best to eat the human boy, the boy opened his eyes and swiftly dodged the aerial strike.

After leaping into the air, the boy swung his fist backward, striking the pterosaur squarely in the head. The pterosaur was sent flying and slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree, passing out.

After landing, the boy slowly walked over to the pterosaur, grabbed one of its wings, and began dragging it home.

Under the setting sun, a strange sight was reflected: a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy dragged a pterosaur three or four times his size toward a small blue-tiled house in the distance.

That's right, this boy was Ye Bai. As he walked, he thought to himself.

It's been over four months since I came to this world. Has Bulma still not started looking for the Dragon Balls? Goku is already twelve, too.

That idiot. When I asked him before, he actually said he was fourteen. Apparently, eleven comes after fourteen to him.

The boy covered his forehead with his free hand, looking utterly speechless.

My battle power is a little higher than Goku's was when he first came to this world, probably around thirteen or fourteen. Saiyans like Goku really are enviable. Ever since I taught him how to guide his ki these past few months, he often can't settle down to train. Yet even though he only comes to fight me every now and then, he's still a little stronger than me.

After returning home, he left the pterosaur in the yard. Entering the house, Ye Bai called out, "Goku," but received no response, so he began preparing the ingredients.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, after Ye Bai and Goku got up, completed their daily morning exercises, and ate breakfast, Goku eagerly ran into the forest to play. Ye Bai began meditating outside the yard to train.

Just then, a small blue car slowly made its way down the mountain road in the distance.

Goku sat in an apple tree, munching on an apple. After finishing it, he casually tossed the core beneath the tree, where it happened to hit a passing saber-toothed tiger.

The saber-toothed tiger angrily looked up at the monkey-like creature sitting in the tree eating an apple. That monkey dared to provoke it? The tiger opened its mouth and pounced with all its strength.

While eating his apple, Goku suddenly noticed a saber-toothed tiger lunging straight at him. He quickly wrapped his tail around a branch and flipped backward to dodge it. Then, overcome by a playful urge, he jumped down from the tree and ran ahead until he reached a cliff.

Goku jumped down, and the saber-toothed tiger pounced after him, only to discover there was a cliff and fall over the edge. Goku clung to a branch growing from the cliffside, watching the tiger grow smaller and smaller below, without noticing that the branch was about to snap.

Crack!

Hearing the sound, Goku looked up. The branch broke. Before he could grab onto the tree trunk, Goku fell off the cliff. Fortunately, a wide river lay below. Goku climbed out of the water onto a nearby rock, took off his clothes and wrung them dry, then ran off to pee. He happened to spot little fish swimming in the river and decided to have fish for lunch.

Goku walked down the path home with a large fish hooked by his tail slung over his shoulder. Suddenly, he heard a sound. Turning around, he saw a strange blue monster charging at him and knocking him flying.

Bulma, inside the car, was startled and quickly stuck her head out to see whether the person she had hit was all right.

Goku climbed to his feet and warily watched the strange monster in front of him. Then he said to it, "You monster, are you trying to steal my prey halfway home?"

Goku rushed forward, lifted the strange monster onto his shoulders, and threw it away.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Bai opened his eyes. In the distance, Goku was carrying a large fish, accompanied by a delicate-looking blue-haired girl in pink clothes. Their conversation drifted over.

"No, hahaha, no! What a weird name."

"That's why I didn't want to say it. You're so annoying."

Ye Bai jumped down from the rock and looked over. So it's finally begun.

Goku dragged the fish along and called out to Ye Bai in the distance, "Little Bai!"

Ye Bai waited quietly in the yard until Goku approached, then asked, "Goku, who is this?"

Before Goku could speak, Bulma answered first, "Hello, my name is Bulma."

Ye Bai returned the greeting. "Hello, I'm Ye Bai. You can call me Little Bai too, like Goku does." Then, though he already knew the answer, he asked, "What brings you two together?"

Goku hurriedly said, "Little Bai, this is the first time I've seen a girl, so I invited her home. I want to treat her well."

Ye Bai nodded and entered the house with Goku and Bulma. Inside, the relic left behind by Goku's grandfather was blinking with an orange-yellow glow. Goku stared blankly at the Dragon Ball before him and said, "Grandpa."

Bulma poked her head out from behind him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Gr-Grandpa is talking."

"Didn't your grandpa die?"

Bulma looked up. With a cry of "Wow!" she pushed Goku aside, picked up the Dragon Ball, and said, "I found one! It's a Dragon Ball!"

Goku quickly snatched the Dragon Ball back. "Hey, don't touch my grandpa!"

Bulma looked at Goku in confusion. "Grandpa? You mean this?"

"Yes! This is the only thing my grandpa left me. Even if you're a girl, I won't let you touch him."

"Look, Grandpa is glowing. He seems like he wants to tell me something. This is the first time he's ever done this."

As Bulma rummaged through the pouch at her waist and pulled out two Dragon Balls, she explained to Goku.

Ye Bai, leaning against the doorframe nearby, watched as Bulma half-coaxed, half-tricked Goku into joining her search for the Dragon Balls. Memories of watching this anime years ago surfaced in his mind, and the corners of his lips gradually curved upward.

"This is really interesting. Scenes from my childhood are unfolding right before my eyes from a different perspective."

Goku suddenly turned to Ye Bai and said, "Xiaobai, come with us to search for the Dragon Balls too."

Bulma turned to look at him as well, finally getting the chance to properly examine the boy before her. If Goku had been cute and handsome as a child, then Ye Bai was the kind of standard handsome guy with refined, well-defined features.

Ye Bai agreed without hesitation. He knew this Dragon Ball journey would be quite interesting, and that in the end, the wish would absurdly be used by a lecherous pig to ask for a pair of girls' panties.

Once they decided to set off, Ye Bai and Goku tidied up the house, shut the doors and windows, and went outside with Bulma. Bulma took out a box, selected a capsule from inside, and turned it into a motorcycle that was far from spacious.

"Can't be helped. Goku wrecked the car, so we'll just have to squeeze together."

Watching the scene before him, Ye Bai still couldn't help admiring this world's technology and scientists.

Bulma climbed onto the motorcycle first. Ye Bai got on after her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. Goku climbed on last and sat at the very back. Cramped in the middle with no other choice, Ye Bai could only hold Bulma tightly. The three of them then rushed off in a hurry.