Golden Opportunities
In the vast wilderness of Earth a motorcycle drove alone. The vehicle slid to a stop as it reached a fork in the road. The driver, Bulma Briefs, flicked the stand out with a kick of her sneaker. "Now let's see, which Dragonball is closer?" Bulma said. She slipped her backpack of her shoulder and pulled out her self-made Dragon Radar. With a click of a button the screen lit up, two dots at her position and five arrows pointing off screen. "The Four Star Dragonball has two others reasonably close, but then I'll have to double back to get the Seven Star Dragonball..." Bulma said. She narrowed her eyes at the radar. Should she try to get more Dragonballs straight away encase they moved or save time by not doubling back? The ground shook as an explosion went off nearby. Bulma shrieked as she rolled off her motorcycle. "Who the hell would use explosions in the middle of nowhere?" Bulma said; tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Another explosion had Bulma turning to look in its direction. That one had sounded closer than the last. "Not my problem. I'm getting while the getting's good." Bulma said. She pushed herself to her feet and righted her motorcycle. Bulma flinched as a beam of light streaked over her head, blowing her hair into her face. "Get down." A male said. Bulma complied without thinking, throwing herself to the ground and covering her head with her hands. Bulma trembled as she felt more blasts pass over her. A gentle thump let Bulma know someone had landed nearby. She hoped that person would save her. Just what had she gotten into? "Oh god, I should have listened to mum! I'm rich! I could buy all the strawberries I wanted with my pocket money. Why did I want to go on an adventure?" Bulma said. If she survived this trip she was going to listen to her mother more often. Someone or something was screaming. Was that the sound of bones breaking? Better to think about how she apologise when she got home. She was not going to pay attention to the death rattle someone was making to her right. Damn her interest in medicine for making her aware of what that noise was! Another inhuman scream was cut short, leaving nothing but the sound of her saviour's footsteps. After a moment's hesitation Bulma raised her head. The area was pitted with craters but there were no bodies. Had they been vaporised into non-existence? "It's ok now." The man said. Bulma turned to look at him. He was kneeling beside her, a white cloak wrapped around his shoulders obscuring his clothes. He held out a gloved hand for her. Bulma gaped at him. He was glowing, no hyperbole intended! His golden hair made the sunlight look dim. "Thank you..." Bulma said. She flushed, so much for her genius IQ. Why was she unable to find anything else to say? He smiled as he took hold of one of her hands. Bulma let him pull her too her feet, busy memorising the shade of green his eyes were. They stood out against the purple half-mask he was wearing. "Don't thank me, I should be apologising to you." The man said. He let go of her hand to rub the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Even if I was surprised by the change in location, I should have stopped those guys before you got involved." He said.
Bulma had never thought a man like this existed. He even seemed to be around her age, this must be a sign! She gave him her best smile as she leaned against him. "Don't say that. I couldn't live with myself if you didn't let me show my appreciation." Bulma said. The man's body turned rigid against her. Bulma's smile widened as she saw a bead of sweat drip down his face. So he was shy? "I wouldn't want to impose on you." He said. He slipped free from Bulma's grasp and stepped back. "It's no imposition at all!" Bulma said. Her hand sneaked forward to grab the edge of his cloak, only for him to vanish. "I'm sorry but I have to leave!" He said. Bulma whirled around. He was behind her with a hand raised in apology. As Bulma tried to inch closer he leapt into the air. Bulma's mouth opened wide, he wasn't falling back down. "Try to stay safe, there could be more of them!" He said. With a wave the golden figure flew off, turning into a speck in the distance. "He can fly...?" Bulma said. She stared at the fading speck of light, mouth still opened wide. Then she let out a high pitched squeal. "He's so cool!" Bulma said. At that moment Bulma decided on a new wish. She would meet her Golden Saviour again, and next time he wouldn't be able to leave. Bulma rushed back to her motorcycle, stuffing her Dragon Radar back into her pack. "Just you wait, I'll find you again!" Bulma said. She sped down the left road after him. "I'm coming for you Seven Star Dragonball!" Bulma said. She let out a whoop of excitement. Even if she didn't find him on the way she'd be one Dragonball closer to wishing him to her. The battlefield she'd stumbled into was long forgotten.
Despite Bulma's hopes she did not find her Golden Saviour on the way to the Seven Star Dragonball. As she zoomed down the dirt road Bulma noticed it was getting hotter. "Geez, what's going on?" Bulma said. Sweat was drenching her clothes, they clung to her body. Bulma slid to a stop. She ripped off her jacket and shoved it into her pack. "It's supposed to be cold in the entire sector for the next week!" Bulma said. She fanned her face but the hot air gave no relief. Looking around Bulma realised that the forest mustn't have seen any rain lately. The greenery was wilted and brown around the edges. "I'm not going to sweat here any longer than I have too. Just how far is the Seven Star Dragonball anyway?" Bulma said. She pulled out her Dragon Radar and turned it on. Not far from the two Dragonballs she had with her another was blinking on the screen. "It looks like it's just down the road. Perfect, I'll have three Dragonballs by lunch time!" Bulma said. She put the Dragon Radar back into her pack and started driving up the hill. As she crested the top of the hill Bulma shrieked. There was a mountain-sized fire at the end of the road where Fire Mountain was supposed to be. "Fire Mountain... They meant it literally when they named it." Bulma said. She supposed at least that explained why it was so hot. "Wait, going by that distance-The Dragonball has got to be inside that fire! What am I going to do?" Bulma said. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it out of its ponytail. "Come on Bulma, think of something!" Bulma said. Distracted by making up a plan she didn't notice a little girl walking up the hill. "Are you alright?" The girl said. Bulma blinked and looked down at the girl. She was wearing armour of all things in this heat, though Bulma supposed didn't cover much skin. "I guess. I was just surprised by Fire Mountain." Bulma said. The girl looked at the ground, kicking at the dirt. "You mustn't be from around here then. My home has been like this ever since I was little." The girl said. Bulma felt bad for upsetting her, but if this girl lived on Fire Mountain she may know where the Dragonball is. "I'm sorry to hear that." Bulma said. She got off her motorcycle and knelt down to look the girl in the eye. "My name's Bulma, Bulma Briefs. I'm from West City. It's nice to meet you." Bulma said. She held out her hand, after hesitating for a moment the girl took her hand and shook it. "I'm Chi-Chi-I mean it's nice to meet you too!" Chi-Chi said. A blush was dusting her cheeks as she let go of Bulma's hand. "Say Chi-Chi, I'm looking for something. Have you seen a ball like these two?" Bulma said, pulling out her Dragonballs. The two orange orbs glowed for a moment, before returning to normal and revealing stars deep within. "I don't know... My dad has a lot of treasure at home. I was only two when the fire started." Chi-Chi said. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "But I can't tell you about that! My dad hates thieves, he'll hurt me if he finds out I told you about the treasure!" Chi-Chi said. Bulma frowned; she hoped Chi-Chi was wrong about her dad. "Then we won't tell him!" Bulma said. She put the Dragonballs away. Still, she'd need to be careful when investigating the Dragonball if it was one of her father's treasures, just to be safe. Chi-Chi clasped Bulma's hands with her own. "You won't tell my dad?" Chi-Chi said. Her eyes were wet with tears. Bulma nodded and Chi-Chi beamed at her. "Thank you so much. But I should get going. Dad sent me out to get the Bansho Fan so we can stop the fire." Chi-Chi said. Bulma clapped her hands together, a grin forming. "The let's go together!" Bulma said. She held up her hand as Chi-Chi opened her mouth. "We're both going on journeys so let's go together. I know I'd feel better about having a companion." Bulma said. Chi-Chi's head tilted. "But aren't you looking for something yourself?" Chi-Chi said. "Its fine, I won't be able to move on with the fire here anyway." Bulma said. Mentally she was giving herself a high-five. If she helped Chi-Chi get the Bansho fan her father would have to hand over the Dragonball as thanks! "Well alright... I was pretty worried about finding Master Roshi on my own." Chi-Chi said. Bulma beamed and held out her hand to Chi-Chi, the two shook hands to seal the deal. The two girls hopped onto Bulma's motorcycle, Chi-Chi sitting behind Bulma. "So do you know which direction to go Chi-Chi?" Bulma said. Chi-Chi pointed in the direction Bulma had come from. "Master Roshi's house is that way. He lives on an island not far from the coast." Chi-Chi said. Bulma revved her motorcycle and spun around. "We head to the ocean first then. We'll switch to my boat capsule when we get there." Bulma said. Chi-Chi hid her face in Bulma's back as the motorcycle sped off. "T-that's good. I was just going to swim the entire way." Chi-Chi said. Bulma laughed. Chi-Chi was so funny; how could anyone swim through the ocean to an Island without getting exhausted? Though thinking about it more, Bulma wondered if Chi-Chi could do it; she had seen a human fly after all. Maybe she'd struck gold with Chi-Chi; it would be nice to have a bodyguard.
Dragonball count: 2