Refusing an Arranged Marriage

The RV rolled across the parched Gobi, kicking up yellow sand that filled the sky.

After shaking off the blustering Yamcha, the temperature soared all the way. The air-conditioning system inside the vehicle let out a dying hum before completely giving out.

"I'm dying of heat!" Bulma sprawled across the sofa, her shorts and tank top soaked through with sweat. She tugged irritably at her collar.

"Did this junker drive straight into an alchemy furnace or something?"

In the driver's seat, the pig-headed driver Oolong wailed as he pressed down on the gas.

"Boss, Fire Mountain is up ahead! That place spews fire all year round! If we keep going, I'm really going to turn into crispy roast suckling pig!"

In the back seat, Son Goku opened his eyes.

Unlike the other two, he was covered in only a thin layer of sweat. A Saiyan's monstrous constitution, coupled with his years of training in ki, made the extreme heat far more bearable.

They had finally arrived—the first major dungeon of the early game.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The Dragon Radar at Bulma's waist suddenly began blaring wildly.

"It's right ahead! The sixth Dragon Ball!" Enduring the scorching heat, she lunged toward the window.

As her gaze passed through the windshield, her entire body froze.

At the end of the horizon stood a massive mountain, from its middle to its peak entirely swallowed by raging crimson flames. Half the sky had been burned blood-red, and even through the car window, the searing heat waves were impossible to block.

"What kind of hellhole is this..." Bulma swallowed.

"The radar says the Dragon Ball is at the summit. How are we supposed to get up there with all that fire?"

Screech—!

Oolong slammed on the brakes and recoiled in terror. "We're done for, we're done for! The Ox-King lives up there—he's said to be dozens of meters tall and eats people alive! Run!"

"What are you panicking for?" Son Goku pushed open the car door, and a wave of heat washed over him. He flexed his wrist and stepped out.

"We're already here. We might as well meet the landlord!"

"Goku, be careful!" Bulma shouted from beside the car door. Watching the youth's upright back, her wildly unsettled heart somehow calmed a little.

"You reckless little trash!"

He had barely taken two steps when a roar like a thunderstorm came crashing down from halfway up the mountain.

Boom!

A gigantic shadow like a mountain of flesh dropped from the sky, smashing down heavily before the RV and sending sand and dust flying.

A hulking giant nearly five meters tall rose from the ground. He wore a horned helmet and round black sunglasses, and held a double-bladed battle-axe the size of a door upside down in one hand. A fierce, oppressive aura swept outward.

"The Ox-King!" Oolong gave two strangled croaks, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed stiffly over the steering wheel.

"You greedy little thieves! You dare set your sights on Fire Mountain!" the Ox-King roared.

"I'll split every last one of you in half!"

Before his words had even faded, the giant axe came down. The Ox-King's thick arm muscles bulged high as the axe blade tore through the air with a piercing boom. This was pure, brutal, absolute violence.

"Goku, dodge!" Bulma screamed.

Son Goku did not dodge. He looked up at the shadow crashing down upon his head. If it had been Kakarot of the past, he might have used his head to block it head-on. But Son Goku would not. Martial arts were about using little force to deflect great strength.

At the instant the axe blade descended upon him—

Son Goku's feet slid, and his body shifted half a step aside along the edge of the blade. At the same time, he raised his right hand, gathering a thin layer of ki in his palm.

There were no dazzling lights or effects—only pure energy released outward as his palm struck the side of the axe with perfect precision.

His ki burst forth. With that clever push, the axe's violent momentum was abruptly redirected, and its downward trajectory veered aside on the spot.

Boom!

The giant axe smashed into the sand just past Son Goku's clothes. The earth cracked apart, carving out an exaggerated trench as shattered stones shot everywhere like bullets.

The Ox-King had put too much force into the blow, and the inertia from his missed swing could not be stopped. His enormous body was dragged forward by his own strength.

Thud!

The imposing ruler of Fire Mountain took a solid face-first tumble into the dirt.

With a single move, without suffering the slightest injury, he had made the famed Ox-King eat a mouthful of sand. The surroundings fell utterly silent.

"What kind of strange move was that, brat?" The Ox-King scrambled up in disarray, his expression full of uncertainty.

Son Goku could not be bothered to explain. He drew the dark-red short staff from his back.

"Power Pole!" He flicked his wrist.

The short staff abruptly lengthened, spun into a flourish in the air, and angled toward the ground.

The moment he saw that staff, the Ox-King's huge body suddenly stiffened. "The Power Pole? What is your relationship with Son Gohan?"

"He's my grandfather," Son Goku answered casually, clearly aware of some hidden history.

"Grandfather? You're really Senior Brother Gohan's grandson?!" The Ox-King's fierce expression vanished completely as he eagerly stepped forward.

"Ah, what a misunderstanding! Back then, Senior Brother Gohan and I both trained under Master Roshi. By seniority, you should call me Uncle Ox!"

Bulma and the others in the car were all dumbfounded. Wasn't that turn a little too abrupt?

"Hello, Uncle Ox!" Son Goku shamelessly went along with it.

"We came to look for the Dragon Balls, but why has the fire on this mountain been burning nonstop?"

"Don't even mention it!" Ox-King said with a miserable expression.

"A while ago, there was a fire in the mountains. It's cursed—ordinary water can't put it out at all. We need Master Roshi's Bansho Fan. Nephew, could you make a trip for your uncle?"

"No problem! But once it's done, I want one of the balls in your castle," Son Goku agreed without hesitation.

Ox-King beamed. Slapping his thigh, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Good, of course! Nephew, I have an only daughter named Chi-Chi, about your age. If you can put out this fire for your uncle, I'll make the decision and betroth Chi-Chi to you. Once you're grown up, you can marry directly. How about it?"

A fiancée?

Inside the car, Bulma's face went pale, and an inexplicable sourness rose in her heart.

Would he agree?

She was Ox-King's daughter. Marrying her would be like embracing a mountain of gold.

Son Goku's heart skipped a beat too. Arranged marriage had come for him.

Sorry, Chi-Chi! Bulma was better!

But he quickly remembered a problem. If he married Chi-Chi, what would happen to Gohan and Goten? How would Future Trunks save the world? Wouldn't the second generation of Z Fighters be wiped out before they even existed?

But with another turn of thought, he stopped worrying about it.

Whatever. This world had Dragon Balls. If they couldn't have children, he could just make a wish to Shenron later. As for Trunks... didn't Bulma have an older sister, Tights? Once he beat that tsundere little prince into submission and tossed him into a blind date, they should be a perfect match.

See? Once his little brain got moving, his thinking completely opened up.

Son Goku scratched his crab-like hair and put on an Oscar-worthy performance, his face filled with innocent confusion.

"Uncle Ox, what is marriage? Is it tasty? It sounds like a lot of trouble."

He turned toward Bulma in the car, his tone pure and resolute.

"I promised Bulma I'd be her bodyguard and help her find the Dragon Balls. Before her wish comes true, I can't do anything else."

"As for Chi-Chi, how about I take her as my little sister? Then no one will ever be allowed to bully her!"

Every word perfectly fit the image of a simple-minded martial arts fanatic who knew nothing of worldly affairs. Not only did he give Ox-King plenty of face, he also flawlessly turned down the marriage proposal.

Ox-King looked into the boy's clear eyes and shook his head regretfully. "You really are exactly like your grandfather back then—stubborn as a mule. Fine, your uncle won't force you!"

Bulma couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

"This idiot doesn't even know what marriage is..."

Her cheeks flushed red. A blockhead who knew nothing, yet valued his promise to her more than a mountain of gold. That pure desire to protect her was simply devastating.

"At least you have a conscience!" She covered her burning cheeks and muttered softly.

Taking in Bulma's reaction, Son Goku quietly made a gesture in his heart.

It's in the bag!

He turned and summoned the Flying Nimbus.

"Uncle Ox, there's no time to lose. I'll go borrow the fan from Grandpa Roshi right now."

Leaping onto the cloud, a feverish anticipation flashed in his eyes.

Who wouldn't want to see for themselves just how cool it would be to flatten an entire castle with a single Kamehameha?