"Haha, haha, sorry, Tien Shinhan." Yamcha gave Tien Shinhan an awkward smile.
He had to apologize. After all, Tien Shinhan was stronger than him. He just didn't want to get beaten up.
"Hmph!"
Tien Shinhan snorted and let Yamcha off. That was Tien Shinhan for you. If it had been Krillin or Aku, they would definitely have challenged Yamcha to a sparring match.
"Let's raise a glass to celebrate Tien Shinhan and Launch!"
Bulma raised her glass of juice and addressed everyone. She wasn't about to pass up any chance to tease Launch.
"Cheers!"
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they left one after another, but Goku asked Piccolo and Raditz to stay.
Goku took the two aside and spoke to Raditz first.
"Big brother, would you rather live in the city or the countryside?"
Raditz thought about it for a moment before deciding on the countryside.
"The countryside. I want to train without anyone bothering me, and try to surpass Nappa and Vegeta as soon as possible."
At the party, Raditz had learned that they had used gravity bracelets to increase their Power Levels by enormous amounts in just two years.
Aku's had even risen by more than 500,000, leaving Raditz eager to see how quickly he could grow stronger with a gravity bracelet.
He had plenty of motivation to grow stronger now. After all, there was a method guaranteed to increase his strength quickly. He couldn't believe anyone would lack motivation with that.
"Then go to Mount Paozu, big brother. No one there can disturb your training, and there happens to be a house ready for you. Because I sent it to your gravity bracelet, you can just follow it and fly there."
The house on Mount Paozu wasn't the one where he had once lived with his grandfather. He had paid to build a new one beside it later, and it was well equipped.
"Yeah, all right. Thank you, Kakarot."
Raditz didn't know what else to say, so he simply offered his heartfelt thanks before flying off toward Mount Paozu.
Once Raditz had left, Piccolo turned to Goku.
"Old Son, what did you keep me here for?"
Hearing that, Goku awkwardly made his request.
"Haha, I wanted to ask you a favor."
"What favor?"
Piccolo was quite willing to help Goku. After all, he couldn't have become so strong without Goku's help.
"Help me train Gohan for a year!"
"W-w-what?"
Piccolo stared at Goku in shock. He wasn't going to train his own son, and wanted an outsider like him to do it?
In fact, there was nothing wrong with Goku entrusting Gohan to Piccolo. King Piccolo was Kami's evil, after all, so his use and control of Ki were naturally highly developed.
Piccolo had also absorbed all of King Piccolo's knowledge and strength. His use and control of Ki were even better than Krillin and the others', despite their three years of training at the Lookout.
Goku nodded calmly. He wasn't joking.
"W-why? You're his father. Why don't you teach him yourself?" Piccolo was baffled by Goku's decision.
"I have my reasons. Trust me, okay? Just train Gohan for a year. I'll come back and continue teaching him after that."
People jokingly called Piccolo Gohan's real father, but Goku didn't believe Piccolo could steal that title from him, not with how close Gohan was to him now.
Had he spent the last four years with Gohan for nothing? He didn't believe Gohan could grow closer to Piccolo than to his actual father in just one year.
Piccolo found it hard to refuse, so he nodded and agreed.
"All right, but let me say this first: if I don't teach him well, don't blame me."
"No, I believe in you."
Goku gave Piccolo his all-purpose, yasashii look, and under his gaze, Piccolo's green face couldn't help turning red.
He believes in me?
"Tch." Piccolo turned his head away, still playing it cool.
"All right, come inside with me. Let's bring Gohan out."
"Okay."
After Piccolo nodded, Goku led him into the house.
As soon as they entered, they saw Gohan playing a video game. He was only four, but he was pretty good at it.
"Gohan, stop playing. You're going with your Uncle Piccolo in a little while."
Gohan stopped what he was doing when he heard Goku and looked at him in confusion.
"Dad, what am I going with Uncle Piccolo for?"
"To train for a year. Haven't you always wanted Dad to teach you how to train? Now go train with your Uncle Piccolo."
Goku's words left Gohan both happy and disappointed.
He was happy that he could finally train, since he was very interested in it, but disappointed that his dad wouldn't be the one training him.
"All right~"
Gohan wasn't very happy. It felt as though his parents didn't want him anymore, as though he were being abandoned.
"All right, then go with your Uncle Piccolo now." Goku smiled at Gohan.
"Huh? Dad, now? Shouldn't I take some clothes and daily necessities?"
?? Gohan's little head was filled with enormous confusion.
"No need. That's part of the training too. Take him away, Piccolo." Goku looked at Piccolo, who stood nearby with his arms crossed.
"Oh, right. If Gohan turns into a Great Ape on a full-moon night, cut off his tail! If that doesn't work, contact me!" Goku looked at Piccolo solemnly.
Goku himself was no longer afraid of transforming into a Great Ape, because his dimensional level was high enough for him to retain his reason in that form.
But Gohan couldn't. Although Goku had taught him how to train, it hadn't been long enough, and he still couldn't stay rational as a Great Ape.
"Yeah!" Piccolo nodded, stepped forward, and picked Gohan up.
"Uncle Piccolo!"
"Yeah, Gohan, let's go."
"Okay!"
"Bye, Dad!"
Gohan waved to Goku and said goodbye.
"Goodbye!"
Goku smiled as he watched the two of them leave. The sky was gradually growing dark.
Only when they were out of sight did Goku head to the bedroom.
What parent wouldn't worry about a child going away? He didn't know about the Goku from the original story, but he knew he would definitely worry.
After taking a bath and putting on his pajamas, Goku lay down on the bed. Beside him, Bulma, also in her pajamas, looked a little down. She turned her tearful eyes toward him.
"Goku, why did you ask Piccolo to train Gohan?"
Goku looked at Bulma, unsure what to say.
"Sigh, I have my plans. Don't worry. Don't you trust me?"
Goku pulled Bulma into his arms and comforted her.
That was right. If she couldn't trust Goku, who could she trust? He must have done this for Gohan's benefit.
With that thought, Bulma no longer seemed quite so down.
A long while later, Goku sat on the bed meditating while Bulma scrolled through her phone beside him.
Smartphones had appeared in the original story during Dragon Ball Super, but Goku had described them to Bulma several years earlier.
To his surprise, Bulma had developed one in just a month. She really was Bulma.
Over the past few years, she had established a monopoly over the entire industry chain and mobile software.
That had made their already wealthy family even wealthier.
Suddenly, Bulma patted Goku on the shoulder.
"Goku, look at this news story! It's ridiculous! How can a school be like this?"
With that, Bulma held her phone screen in front of Goku.
Goku opened his eyes and looked at the story. One glance was enough to give him a fright.
What the hell? Practice couples?
Shocking! To solve society's low marriage and birth rates, a high school has actually introduced practice couples!
A male and female student live together in a suite provided by the school. Their grade is determined by monitoring how intimate they are, and whether they can graduate depends on their practice-couple grade!
What kind of outrageous nonsense is this?
Wasn't this the world of Dragon Ball? Was he sure it wasn't some adult anime?
Seeing the bewildered look on Goku's face, Bulma smiled and continued reading.
"Huh~ The local government actually approved it!"
Bulma thought the local government was beyond saving. They had actually approved something so outrageous.
Then Goku suddenly remembered how much this plot resembled an anime he had watched on Earth.
More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers?
All right, all right, all right. I'll go check out that high school next time. Watching that show gave me such a stomachache back then.
He would see if any of the people he remembered were there.
As Goku was thinking, he suddenly felt Bulma's two shapely legs settle on his, so close to that spot.
Even through the silk pajamas, he could feel how smooth and soft they were.
Goku turned to look at Bulma, and in an instant, he understood.