Chapter 4 - Mountain on Fire

…

'No wonder the original Yamcha did not train martial arts after a while.'

Even without considering Super Sayian, it was still downtrodden enough from the Zenkai Boost to keep Saiyans on top. Sure, the Zenkai boost got weaker after a while when the Saiyans reached power levels up to millions. But by then, humans already couldn't keep up.

"Ugh, it's so hot in here," Bulma complained, she was sweating and her clothes stuck to her body. "Or is it just me?"

As they got close to the fire mountain, the heat became unbearable inside the car as Yamcha felt like he was being cooked inside the metal car. He was driving, and Bulma, of course, was sitting next to him.

"The Dragon Balls on your radar wouldn't happen to be there, would they?" Yamcha pointed toward the mountain that had now appeared on the horizon.

"Wow! Is that a mountain on fire?!" Exclaimed Goku, surprised.

"Uwaa, so that's why it's so hot!" Bulma sighed as she opened the window, and a new wave of heat came in.

"C -C'mon, let's not go there," Oolong wiped some sweat from his brow. "In that place lives the Ox King!"

"Ox King?" Bulma looked confused.

"Some call him Demon Lord, that castle at the top of the mountain is his castle," Yamcha intervened and started explaining. "They say that he kills anyone who comes close to his territory. But Oolong is right. Getting past those flames is impossible."

Still, even as they get out of the car to check things out. Bulma looked determined to go there. She was about to say something when Yamcha noticed and interrupted her. "Anyways, let's go there since this important dragon ball is there too."

They got back in the RV van and drove. This time, the driver was Bulma. As Yamcha cautiously kept an eye out on things.

He had religiously planned things out with this encounter. But most of the times when a plan met reality, plans didn't dwell well on it.

Once, they approached close enough to some ruins, which looked abandoned and had a couple of skeletons. Yamcha got out and looked at one of the corpses, which was all bones and had a cowboy hat.

Oolong looked more fearful than ever, and his legs kept shaking as he got out of the car and looked around. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god, the Demon Lord doesn't seem to be here."

"Goku, call your weird cloud and go check things out there," Bulma ordered him while she got closer to Yamcha and put an arm around him. "Oh, sorry, I am feeling a little lightheaded due to the heat."

The smile on Bulma's face gave away her intention. While the smile on Yamcha's face showed how uncomfortable he was. Being close to the flames was kind of hot, in the way that it made you sweat a lot. Having another body mashed against him made the heat even more unbearable.

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku called out. The yellow cloud descended from the sky, and he jumped on it.

Yamcha, always curious, used Observe on the cloud.

[Part of Nimbus Cloud (Legendary)]

[It ? ? ?...]

Ding!

[Observe Skill Leveled Up]

'As expected, items with a certain rarity can only be observed when the skill gets at higher levels. Game mechanics can be quite tedious. Oh well, it's not like it matters since I already knew about the Nimbus.'

While waiting around, Yamcha wondered whether he could ride the Nimbus and thought about testing it when he had some leisure time.

When heard something behind him before he saw it. The sound of air being cut by a projectile, some kind of whip? No, it was something big!

He grabbed Bulma by her waist and jumped to the side.

"Kya!" She screeched right in his ear at the sudden movement. To say that her yell was annoying would be an understatement, as it was distracting.

Yamcha could feel his heartbeat in his throat, and the blood on his body moved rapidly.

Baam!... A giant ax stabbed into the wreckage wall of the abandoned town. The walls were thick, but the giant ax easily dug through stone like jelly. That was a thrown ax, too, meaning all this had been done in one movement.

There was a difference between seeing something on TV or the phone screen and seeing it in real life. Yamcha learned that his hands were sweaty just now, and he felt like throwing up for some reason.

He was reminded once again that not even three days ago, he was just a normal guy, who the most danger to his life he ever experienced daily was if his favorite adult site videos took too long to load.

Thankfully he had Gamer's Mind… so he didn't even flinch outwardly.

"Yamcha! Are you okay?!" Yelled out Puar from the car. While Oolong had already peed his pants with a wet puddle below his feet.

'No, no, I am not! I just had an existential crisis about how I will die one-day fighting monsters like this. Wait, does this world's afterlife even work for me?'

Yamcha's heart rate calms down due to Gamer's Mind. But he couldn't help but keep thinking, how would the afterlife work for him? Would the original Yamcha come out on the other side? Maybe he would be okay but just lose the Gamer Interface?

"Yes, of course," Yamcha answered Puar, pushing Bulma behind him. The last thing he wanted was his meal ticket and future bank, to get injured. He also didn't want her to grab onto him if a fight broke out. "Ox King, nice to meet you."

"You brats! Are you here to steal my treasure?!" Yelled out the giant of a man. He wore a helmet like a Viking and looked intimidating as hell.

[Ox King - Lvl 28]

[A man who hates thieves that came to his castle. Some years ago, a great accident happened that set his castle on fire. (PL: 75)]

Also, he was many times stronger than him, and it was about the same difference in power levels that Yamcha and Vegeta had. Or maybe not… he wasn't in the best mental state right now to come up with quick math.

"Heh, you're quite calm, young man. I can see that you must have practiced some martial arts," says Ox King casually as he walks and takes out the ax that had just plummeted into a wall. "Probably one of those Monk Arts, right?"

Yamcha nodded, going along with the flow. "Thank you for the compliment, Ox King. Though I am not that good at martial arts, sadly, I never had the talent for it." He then stopped talking about himself and turned his attention to the man of the hour. "Though you look as ferocious as the rumors say."

"Heh, your compliments won't save you from your head and body detaching from each other," Ox King said, now calmer and in a better mood for some reason.

'That… was not a compliment.' Yamcha decided not to say that out loud.

Instead, as the Ox King walked toward Yamcha menacingly, Bulma hugged his back.

"I see. But we aren't thieves," Yamcha responded calmly. " We are here looking for the dragon balls, and our radar pointed at the vicinity. We were wondering if-"

Clang!

The ax was slammed into the ground, creating a big crevice. "It always seems like the sweeter someone speaks, the more they try to trick me."

From the corner of my eye, Yamcha saw Goku fly on his cloud towards them. He felt relief… and then dread. It was Goku, after all, and he isn't known as the guy that deescalates situations.

'I am so fucked.'

Chapter 5 - Ox King

…

Goku comes riding down the sky, jumps down from the Nimbus, and uses his power pole to extend it and soften the landing.

It was an impressive showing. If Yamcha had to judge, he would say seven out of ten. But when he landed, Goku opened his mouth to say something but Yamcha, moving at speeds he didn't think he could, quickly had the common sense to go and cover Goku's mouth.

"Good job, Goku," Yamcha congratulated his friend with a casual smile that Gamer's Mind had helped him have enough calmness to put up. Sure, in the story, the Ox King might be a cool guy, but here, he had killed people.

When Yamcha was sure that Goku got the message, he let go of his friend's mouth and said. "Anyways, we were here more as visitors to see the rumored Firepan Mountain."

For now, he trusted Goku not to say anything, even…

"Oh, and also, guys, I wasn't able to get the thing from the castle as-" Goku was slapped behind his head by Bulma before he could continue.

Yamcha was left agape. What brought him to think that Goku had any semblance of common sense? Was his IQ getting lower by being around Goku?

Immediately he and Goku jumped back, while Yamcha also grabbed Bulma as an ax landed on where he previously was. The stone ground shattered and broke. The monstrous strength behind the ax would have killed him in one hit if it had landed.

"Wait, why is he attacking us?" Asked Goku, while Yamcha noticed Oolong had already hidden. He wished Bulma had done the same instead of being in his arms as he had to carry her.

"Because you made it sound like we were stealing from his castle," Yamcha stated the obvious while putting Bulma down and pointing toward some ruins. "Go and hide there behind those rocks. It will be safer for you."

The Ox King slashed at them with all his fury, and Yamcha made sure to always be on guard in case the giant man decided to throw his ax.

At the same time, he tried to think of something to fix the situation and called out to the one who started this whole mess, to begin with. "Goku! Summon your cloud and distract him!"

Yamcha now was serious, taking all situations into account. The difference in power level between them and Ox King was huge. But when someone's power level is within two digits, there is still some chance to win through tricks.

Though there was one problem with that plan, he hadn't thought of any tricks he could use here.

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku calls out, and the Ox King is distracted when he hears that.

Yamcha takes the openings and uses Wolf Fang Fist, which takes his power level from a measly 10 to a 12. The attacks rained like hungry wolves, with Yamcha's grasps and fingers becoming fangs.

But by the end of it all, Ox King only looked at the cloud and threw a punch at Yamcha as if swatting away a fly. The punch was surprisingly fast, but Yamcha dodged it with only a graze on his shoulder. But that graze only made pain travel down his arm.

[-10 HP]

That graze only had lost him 1/5th of his Health. Yamcha felt cold sweat go down his spine. If that punch had landed, he would be meeting King Yemma by now.

'Damn, that was ridiculously close to death.'

"Hey, kid, where did you get that cloud?" Ox King asked as the man's face morphed into one of ingenious rage. "Did you steal it?!"

"Huh?" Goku looked confused at that. "No, I didn't steal it. An old man whose turtle I saved gave it to me."

"You know Master Roshi?!" The Ox King was surprised.

They continued talking about something, but Yamcha wasn't listening and just looked at his hand.

Forget about the dangerous future of Vegeta, Frieza, or even Cell. What he needed to concentrate on was right here, not some faraway future.

Yamcha was so concentrated on staying relevant that he forgot the most core thing about this world. There were no shortcuts, sure creatures like Cell could gain unimaginable power through just being themselves. But where did that have him end up?

No, he shouldn't be concentrating on surpassing anyone. He shouldn't even bother thinking of other people and instead just concentrate on his progress. Comparing yourself to others would only lead to downfall.

Because deep down, Yamcha knew that he would be satisfied if he was just above Goku, even if that was just 1 Power Level above.

'I see. Holding a mindset like that from my last world wasn't worth too much. Competition? That doesn't matter in the long run. I don't want to be another Vegeta.'

[Willpower increased by 1]

Yamcha looked at the notification in a daze, but he smiled. Surpassing the Saiyans was going to be hard, even with the Gamer Interface. Some would assume it would be impossible. But he didn't care, and he was only going to improve at his own pace.

"Hey, Yamcha~" Bulma leaned on his arm, having stealthily run over from her hiding place. "You looked so cool when fighting. That calm look on your face just made my heart tingle."

He looked at her and nodded. Not paying too much attention to what she had said.

He was feeling conflicted, but everything had cleared up now. "I am going to train."

After saying that, Yamcha separated from Bulma. Goku went off on his Nimbus to do something for the Ox King.

If his memory was correct, Yamcha knew from the anime that he would go and meet Chi Chi, find Roshi, and make a promise to marry his future wife. Or that could all be fucked up now, because he had changed something.

'Oh well, not like Gohan is important in the survival of this world. Except in the Raditz Saga, Saiyans, Frieza, Androids, Cell, Buu… I REALLY hope they meet and all of this works out. Taking Gohan's role on my shoulders sounds like a pain in the ass.'

He was the kind of person who expected something bad to happen when his life went too well. Or maybe everyone is like that?

"Hey," Yamcha called out to the Ox King. "So we clear now?"

"Yeah," the giant of a man nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought you guys were thieves."

"No problem. Misunderstandings like this happen to even the best of us." Yamcha didn't hold a grudge and decided not to remind him that they were going to steal the shit of the dragon ball in his castle if the Ox King hadn't been here or those flames hadn't stopped Goku. So yes, in a sense, they were thieves. "Anyways, if Master Roshi has trained you, can we spar a little? I am an aspiring martial artist."

Yamcha tried showing an excited face.

The Ox King smiled, showing the kindness he would have during the time Goku would get married.

Bulma smiled widely while internally feeling a little down.

No matter how hard she tried to get, Yamcha had failed to see her as more than just a friend. She hadn't been able to even get a blush out of him.

Maybe she wasn't as cute as she thought she was? Sure many boys had confessed to her in school, but most likely were after her father's money.

Yamcha was different, of course, because he didn't know she was the daughter of the founder and owner of Capsule Corps, the biggest company out there. But Yamcha had said that his type of woman was a slightly overweight girl who overthinks things.

'That is so totally me!' Bulma reasoned that many girls were in better shape than her. Especially those on TV, they had perfect bodies, so she did consider herself a little overweight too. That insecurity was what made her want to wish for the perfect boyfriend.

Baam!

The sound of Yamcha smashing into three trees woke her up from her thoughts.

The Ox King is in a boxing stance and has a smile. Yamcha had an accompanying smile, too, as he got up and wiped the blood dripping down his mouth's corner.

"Ready for round two?" he asked with a smile. While watching a handsome boy be so brave and unwilling to give up was kinda hot, Bulma was also worried about him.

Blood from the mouth? Doesn't that mean he had internal organ damage? Wait, that's dangerous, not something anyone could just shrug off.

She wanted to say that to him, but Yamcha seemed too concentrated on fighting against the Ox King, who was bigger and stronger than him.

"I have beaten you down like five times with about two punches. This is way past the second round," said the Ox King, smiling.

"Uhhh, shouldn't you try and rest a little?" Bulma added meekly. She didn't say things too bossily as she did around guys she didn't like. The last thing she wanted was for Yamcha to think she was annoying. How would she be able to live with something like that?!

"Young girl, you don't understand what getting beat up means when one is learning martial arts," Instead of Yamcha, the one who answered was the Ox King. His eyes had a passion in them she hadn't seen before. "Fighting and getting beat down by a stronger opponent, then training and defeating a said opponent is a man's ROMANCE!"

Bulma looked at him weirdly, then she looked at Yamcha. Surprisingly he had a knowing smirk on his face. "It's true. Shooting beams out of our hands and powering up is a man's romance."

Man's Romance? What the hell does that mean?!

Bulma was confused, but not wanting Yamcxha to think she was dumb, she nodded and agreed with everything he said.

A/N: Don't take Bulma's thoughts on Yamcha as facts. Her view of him isn't the most concrete. Even if he does something bad or stupid, she might see it differently. Well, that'd how crushes are, for both guys and girls. It seems like the other is too perfect, and they can't make any mistakes.