Rivals

At dawn, Goku opened his eyes and found himself weak all over, his limbs as heavy as if they had been filled with lead. Confused, he turned his head and discovered that Bulma was gripping his tail in her hand, a bright smile on her face as she remained completely immersed in her dreams.

Goku was startled. A Saiyan's tail really is a weakness. If an enemy grabs it, that'd be dangerous! He struggled gently a few times, but Bulma only gripped tighter, completely unaware of Goku's movements.

Goku began to think about how to overcome this weakness. He decided that from now on, he would tuck his tail inside his pants and find time to train it. Perhaps he needed to add some special exercises to his training, so he could get used to having his tail grabbed.

Oh, come on. How did I let her fall asleep holding my tail? Goku muttered to himself, feeling rather embarrassed. But when he saw Bulma's peaceful face, he could not help smiling. Still, she looks pretty cute like this.

Deciding not to disturb Bulma's sweet dreams, Goku lay still and closed his eyes, though no one knew what he was thinking about.

After a while, Bulma finally woke up. She instinctively released Goku's tail and stretched lazily. Goku immediately felt much lighter.

"Morning, Goku!" Bulma said with a yawn.

Goku smiled back at her. "Morning, Bulma!"

After breakfast, Bulma turned on the Dragon Radar, confirmed the target's location, and said excitedly, "Let's go!"

"Okay, let's go!" Goku quickly followed Bulma over to the motorcycle. Bulma hopped on, and Goku sat behind her. Excitedly, Goku climbed on and wrapped his arms around Bulma's waist. The motorcycle started at once and sped ahead.

Just as Goku and Bulma were riding through the desert, a bandit suddenly appeared and blocked their path. Goku instantly recognized him as Yamcha and thought, This is my romantic rival. I absolutely can't let him get close to Bulma!

"You wanna fight?" Goku shouted.

Yamcha pursed his lips in a smile. "Leave all your money and valuables behind!" Before he had even finished speaking, he launched an attack and rushed straight at Goku.

Seeing this, Goku quickly counterattacked, and the two soon began fighting. Yamcha's strength was not to be underestimated, and he unleashed his signature Wolf Fang Fist. But Goku was faster and stronger. Goku countered decisively, knocking out one of Yamcha's front teeth with a punch.

At that moment, Bulma walked over from the side to see what was going on. The instant Yamcha saw Bulma, his entire body suddenly stiffened, his eyes turning blank as though he had been hit with a paralysis spell. Then he coughed awkwardly, turned around, and rode away on his motorcycle, as if he could not wait to vanish into the desert.

Watching Yamcha flee, Bulma could not help saying, "Wow, he's really handsome!"

Goku's expression instantly darkened. He silently calculated his romantic rival score and thought, Well, great. Romantic rival score plus 100! I can't let this guy have a chance!

"What use is being handsome? Personality matters too!" Goku grumbled unhappily. A scumbag like Yamcha will definitely attract girls, but I won't let him get the chance to get close to you!

At night, the sky outside was deep and vast, dotted with starlight. The occasional rustle of a breeze sounded like nature whispering. Inside the Capsule Corp house, warm, gentle light filled every corner, and the air was steeped in quiet serenity. Bulma sat at the table, intently flipping through some materials. Her eyes were fixed on complicated formulas and charts, and every now and then, she murmured to herself, seemingly pondering some new technological breakthrough. Several thick books and electronic devices lay scattered across the table, making it look especially busy.

Meanwhile, Goku leaned against the corner of the wall, his legs naturally crossed and his arms resting casually on his knees.

His gaze was not focused on any particular object. Instead, he looked through the window at the moonlit land outside.

Occasionally, his eyes followed the swaying shadows of the trees beyond the window, his thoughts seeming to drift along with them as he sank into deep contemplation.

Though the outside world was quiet, Goku's heart was not entirely at peace. He had always been in the habit of thinking about many things during quiet moments.

Just then, the pile of grass near the house suddenly stirred, and a figure could vaguely be seen slowly approaching.

It was Yamcha. He was sneaking through the night, thinking about how to get close to Bulma and take revenge on Goku.

Based on his memories, Goku knew Yamcha would return and happen to spy on Bulma bathing, so he had to wait until he drove Yamcha away again before bathing with Bulma. Goku did not want to be a Green Geta.

Goku was yawning when he suddenly heard a faint sound and pricked up his ears warily.

He walked to the window and secretly peeked outside through the curtains, only to spot Yamcha in the grass pile.

Anger flared in his heart. That guy really came! What a nuisance!

But Yamcha did not barge in directly. He crouched in the bushes for a long time, waiting for a chance to approach Bulma.

At the same time, Goku decided not to show any more mercy. Turning to Bulma, he said, "I'll go check outside." He was prepared to teach Yamcha a lesson. After all, the guy was being far too persistent.

The instant Goku opened the door, Yamcha hurriedly backed away, tripped, and fell heavily to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, Bulma ran outside. "Handsome guy! Why are you here again?" she cried in surprise.

"Uh... I was just passing by..." Yamcha awkwardly got to his feet, trying to hide his predicament.

"Passing by? Where are you going in the middle of the night?" Goku demanded.

While Goku was briefly distracted, Yamcha darted away and disappeared into the night, leaving Goku and Bulma staring at each other.

"What a strange guy." Bulma shook her head helplessly.

"He got away again." Goku pursed his lips, feeling a little upset. "If he keeps pestering us like this, I really need to teach him a lesson!"

"Don't get so worked up, Goku." Bulma chuckled, trying to ease the tension.

Goku nodded and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want Bulma to think he was being too petty.

"All right, let's go back inside. He probably won't come cause trouble again tonight," Goku suggested, changing the subject.

Bulma began looking over the plan for tomorrow. "According to the Dragon Radar, the next Dragon Ball is in the mountains ahead."

Goku lay on the bed, clues about the next Dragon Ball flashing through his mind. He knew that Dragon Ball was on Frying Pan Mountain.

In the original story, Frying Pan Mountain was where he met Chichi.

Thinking of Chichi, Goku could not help feeling a trace of warmth in his heart.

Chichi truly was a good girl. She had incredibly deep feelings for Goku and had even entered into an engagement with him.

But Goku knew that Chichi's personality did not seem particularly compatible with his own.

In comparison, Bulma was more lively, and the two of them always had interesting interactions.

He thought to himself that although his relationship with Bulma had only just begun, he deeply cherished this easygoing yet thoughtful care.

"Still, I should take a bath first." Goku spoke to himself, yawned, and pulled Bulma by the hand into the bathroom. To keep anyone from peeping, he drew the curtains over the windows.