[October 3, Age 769: I saw a strange robot in the Yunzabit Heights. It moved incredibly fast and was immensely strong. I suspect it was produced by the Red Ribbon Army.]
[March 28, Age 776: Something unusual happened in Penguin Village. Wreckage from a mysterious machine fell from the sky.]
[Morning of August 15, Age 778: Strange energy fluctuations erupted in the great Gobi 300 kilometers north of North City.]
[July 7, Age 777: Someone claiming to be a member of the Red Ribbon Army appeared in Parsley Town, West City.]
[...]
Bulma had selected thirteen reports like these from information submitted online.
Earthlings were already few in number.
Moreover, before Android 17 and Android 18 died, most humans had barely survived by hiding in the mountains and forests, cut off from outside news.
Finding this many reports was already beyond their expectations.
The Yunzabit Heights, Penguin Village, the great Gobi near North City, Parsley Town, Papaya Island, Ginger City, the Cloudsea Great Desert...
Son Gohan and Bulma carefully weighed the reports and finally chose the three most suspicious locations.
They were:
The Yunzabit Heights.
The great Gobi near North City.
The Cloudsea Great Desert.
On the first day, Son Gohan and Bulma went to search the Yunzabit Heights.
After an entire day of searching, they found nothing.
The Yunzabit Heights were ruled out.
When they returned to West City that evening, Trunks had already gathered all seven Dragon Balls and placed them on the table, ready to summon Shenron and make a wish at any time.
Earth's Dragon Balls were much smaller than those on Planet Namek.
Planet Namek's Dragon Balls were as large as basketballs.
Earth's Dragon Balls, however, were only the size of a fist.
The seven Dragon Balls sat neatly arranged in front of Trunks.
Trunks rested his chin in his hands, wondering what he should wish for.
He saw Son Gohan and Bulma return.
Trunks sprang to his feet, his face brimming with excitement. Looking eager for praise, he said, "Gohan, Mom, I've gathered all the Dragon Balls! When are we going to summon Shenron and make a wish? I can't wait!"
"There's no rush," Son Gohan said. "Let's wait a few more days, until we've checked all the leads we picked out."
"Oh, all right..." Hearing that, Trunks lowered his head, looking deflated.
Seeing his reaction, Bulma asked curiously, "Trunks, is there something you want to wish for?"
"Yes, there is," Trunks replied.
"You can't waste a wish, though. Tell us, what kind of wish do you want to make?" Bulma pressed.
"Well... won't it stop working if I say it out loud?" Trunks asked worriedly.
Bulma burst into laughter. "No, it won't. This isn't a birthday wish. You're making a wish to Shenron, so it doesn't matter if you tell other people beforehand."
"All right, then. I want to wish to Shenron for the three of us to live happily together for the rest of our lives," Trunks said.
That was his wish?
Bulma: "..."
Son Gohan: "..."
Both fell silent.
Neither had expected Trunks to want a wish like that.
They thought of how excited he had been all day, rushing around to find the Dragon Balls.
Both adults felt as though something had struck their hearts.
Their gazes softened considerably as they looked at Trunks.
Son Gohan ruffled Trunks's hair and smiled. "Trunks, you don't need to make that wish, because we're definitely going to stay together."
"Really?" The thirteen-year-old boy looked up.
"Of course." Son Gohan nodded firmly.
"I thought you were going to wish for world peace."
"I'm afraid even Shenron couldn't grant that wish. Haha," Bulma said.
The next day, Bulma stayed home to fine-tune the Time Machine.
Son Gohan and Trunks flew toward the Mara Great Gobi, north of North City.
The Mara Gobi lay 300 kilometers north of North City.
It covered more than ten million square kilometers, a vast expanse.
Vegetation was extremely sparse there, with most of the land consisting of desert and weathered rock.
There were oases in the desert, but they could be counted on one hand.
Shrubs stubbornly grew on some of the weathered rocks, showing humanity their tenacious vitality.
Under the scorching sun, waves of heat rose from the Gobi, making even breathing difficult.
But Son Gohan and Trunks were no ordinary people.
After experiencing the extremes of ice and fire in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, they found this heat hardly worth mentioning.
It was child's play.
The two flew above the vast Gobi.
"Trunks, let's split up," Son Gohan said. "You go this way, and I'll go that way. If either of us finds anything, we'll raise our ki as a signal, then meet up. Got it?"
"Got it, Gohan." Trunks nodded.
The two parted ways.
Each held a round auxiliary detector as they began a thorough sweep.
Half a day soon passed.
Son Gohan flew through the air, fully focused as he carefully examined the ground.
After he flew a little farther, the Weathered Stone Forest appeared ahead.
The Weathered Stone Forest stretched for an unknown distance, boundless, with no end in sight.
Trees with bare trunks took root in the weathered stone, stubbornly growing.
Son Gohan frowned slightly and flew into the stone forest, sensor in hand.
After he ventured roughly a dozen kilometers deeper inside,
the detector in Son Gohan's hand suddenly began to vibrate.
"Hmm?"
Delighted, Son Gohan raised the detector to his eyes to check it.
A red dot on its screen kept flashing with a piercing light.
Before you continue