As Bulma lands the plane near the base of Korin Tower, two men in handmade animal skin clothes approach from the surrounding woods. The smaller of them carries hunting equipment while the larger one has a freshly killed deer slung over his shoulders. They drop their stuff off at a tipi before approaching the flying vehicle.
"Wow Upa, you've really grown up," calls Krillin out of his window.
"Yeah, I bet I don't look like a girl anymore," laughs the now adolescent protector of the sacred lands.
Krillin rolls his eyes as his cheeks redden.
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles.
"Korin came down to us on one of his flying clouds and informed us of what's going on," says the older, burlier man. "He said you might need these."
He pulls a pouch free from his leather belt and tosses it to Krillin who opens it eagerly.
"Oh wow, Senzu Beans!" he exclaims. "Thank you Bora."
Krillin eats one before swiveling in his seat to share them. His pain and injuries almost instantly go away as his strength and energy return just as quickly. He flicks two beans to his teacher and friend who hungrily gobble down the unassumingly hardy legume.
Chichi is a little more difficult as getting her attention proves nearly impossible. Her distracted mind does not seem to realize she is being offered a panacea to remove all of her pain and injuries. With great urging, she finally eats it, but there is no change in her demeanor. She does not jump to her feet like Yamcha or even smile like Master Roshi. She just pulls her knees to her chest and buries her head between them with her arms crossed overtop. The rest of them share worried glances before wordlessly agreeing to leave the plane to give her some space.
As they step off the aircraft, the ki inclined among them notice two life forces heading their way from above. They look to the sky to see Tien and Chiaotzu flying in from the horizon. Their bodies are encased with an impressive white aura as they perform the feat with great speed. Krillin runs forward waving his arms and laughing at their approach.
When the pair are directly above the clearing their comrades stand in, the auras enveloping their bodies disperse sending them into free fall. The drop is several hundred feet, but Tien lands safely with barely a bend of his knees. Chiaotzu plummets through the air behind him with an even stiffer form, his posture completely straight. But instead of preparing for a soft landing, his body remains rigid. Just when he is about to crash, his acceleration rapidly decreases until he is gently floating mere inches off the ground. From there he plops his feet onto solid earth.
"Wow, that was awesome," says Krillin to the new arrivals. "You guys must have been booking it way faster than we were flying in our plane to get here already."
Yamcha walks over casually not showing the same enthusiasm for the accomplishment. An old twinge of jealousy he had not felt in years crept in. He only just learned how to fly and these two were zipping around the sky making it look effortless.
"We came as soon as Kami told us what happened," says Tien. "Our condolences about Goku's passing. We know how close of a friend he was to the both of you."
"Hey Tien," shouts Bulma approaching with Master Roshi. "Looks like you haven't been slacking off these past few years."
She sends him a wink, and he returns a blush. Yamcha grimaces at the little exchange. Bulma just giggles at his discontent.
"So Tien, where's Launch," she asks playfully.
"Oh, she left Chiaotzu and I awhile ago. The monk lifestyle of meditating and living off the land wasn't for her," he explains plainly. "Not exciting enough I guess. It's for the best though. She was kind of a distraction."
"So you're single then?" Bulma says with a wry smile.
She glances at Yamcha from the corner of her eyes. His jaw is clenched in his usual frustrated tic she always finds so adorable. His teeth even grind a bit.
"And you're just as cute as ever Chiaotzu," she says to the only person shorter than Krillin now.
Chiaotzu blushes at her comment as well, except his is even more noticeable against his pure white skin. This gets a laugh out of the whole group, even Yamcha.
"So it's true then?" asks Upa. "Goku is really … he's really gone?"
The laughter stops.
"I'm afraid so," answers Master Roshi.
"Then you're going to wish him back to life with the Dragon Balls right? Like we did for my father?" Upa says.
"You bet we are," says Bulma. "I'm in charge of that, and I'll be starting right away while these guys get going with their training."
"Are you sure Bulma?" Yamcha asks. "You know how dangerous it can be looking for those things. I mean I'm sure we'll get a break sometime and then we can help."
"Ugh, you're already doing it again," she says.
"Doing what?" he replies.
"That overprotective thing you always do. I can handle myself. I don't need you to do everything for me, okay?" she says.
"Okay, sheesh," he says. He grumbles out another couple syllables.
"Besides, we have lots of other friends like Puar and Oolong who can help," she adds trying to smooth over his hurt feelings.
Upa looks to his father. Bora nods his head.
"I'd like to go with you then," Upa declares. "I will face any danger!"
"Woah, slow down there tiger," says Bulma. "I won't turn down any help. Get whatever you need and load it into the plane. We'll be leaving soon."
"Right!" says Upa running off immediately.
The sound of an approaching vehicle gets their attention. The groups sees Yajirobe weaving between trees in his hover car through the forested wilderness. The robust samurai pulls up next to them and hops out.
"Okay I'm here. Now where's the food I was promised?" says Yajirobe.
"Did Kami really have to bribe you with food to show up?" asks Bulma. Her eyes narrow in annoyance.
"Hey, you should be thankful I even bothered to show up at all. I don't have to risk my life against these Saiyans you know," Yajirobe says. He crosses his arms in a huff and turns his head away from her. "So what are we supposed to do now?"
"I'm sure Korin will tell you how to find Kami," says Master Roshi. "You boys should meet with him. And since you have already climbed the tower before, I suggest as a training exercise you try to fly to the top this time. It will be a good test of your stamina and ki control."
Yamcha tilts his head up following the column endlessly into the sky unable to see the top.
"We can try it I guess. I mean if we do get tired we can always grab hold of it for a rest," he says.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," says Tien. "If I remember the climb well enough we should make it with energy to spare."
"Yeah, you're probably right," says Yamcha. He pulls one arm across his chest to stretch it before doing the same to the other.
"Hey do you two want a Senzu Bean to restore your energy from flying over here before we take off?" asks Krillin. "We have a few to spare."
"No it's okay," says Chiaotzu. "Flying doesn't drain our stamina much. Besides, those are pretty rare since only Korin can grow them. We should save them if we can."
Are these guys for real? thinks Yamcha. How can they not be tired?
Then aloud, "well if you guys want to get a head start, I'll catch up after I talk to Bulma for a bit."
"Talk about what?" she asks.
"Come with me and I'll tell you," he says nodding his head away from the tower.
He and Bulma walk one way and the rest go the other.
"So Master Roshi will you be joining us?" Tien asks as they approach the giant pillar.
"Hmm. I think I'd just be in the way," he says. "I may be too old to learn anymore tricks, and I've probably reached the peak of my power. I don't know how much stronger I can really get. No, I think I'm going to leave this one to you boys. I should pay a visit to my sister. I haven't seen her in a long time. Now may be a good time to catch up with her."
And with that, he was silent. They take the last couple steps and stand before the imposing structure.
"You going to be alright trying to fly that high Krillin?" asks Tien. "I know you're newer to flying than we are."
"I guess we'll see," Krillin says. His face creases with deep contemplation.
"Alright then, here we go," says Tien.
They lift off the ground while Bulma follows behind Yamcha. His head hangs down nearly touching his chest with his chin. It was rare to see him in such a sullen mood.
"Hey, what's on your mind," she asks softly.
He stops but does not face her.
"I just … I feel like I'm in over my head," he says.
"You don't have to do this then. It's not your responsibility," she says.
"I do though, and I'm going to," he says turning around. "It's just that this isn't what I imagined when we were all supposed to have our reunion. All I wanted was to see you again. I wanted this to be a chance to start over after enough time passed for things to settle down. I know it didn't end well between us, but I care about you. I want you to be happy and safe. And I want to be in your life even if it's just as friends. And now I feel like I'm being pulled away."
He stops to look at Bulma for a reaction. She gently shoves his chest causing him to tip back just a little.
"You're really going to leave me after saying that? You jerk," she says. She looks away but cannot hide her smile.
"Yeah, duty calls I guess," says Yamcha. He smiles too and moves passed her for the tower.
"Hey Yamcha," she says.
He turns back. "Ya Bulma."
"Here take this with you and stay in touch," she says throwing him a phone.
"Oh, right. I will. Uh, take care then," he says.
"Ya, you too," she says.
They stare at each other for a moment. Then he starts toward the tower again. Before he can take a full step, Bulma grabs his shoulders and spins him around. She leans against his chest with one foot rising behind her. She kisses him lightly on the cheek.
Yamcha is stunned for a moment afterwards. He shambles back a couple steps with a bewildered look. A happy smile explodes onto his face. Bulma hold her hands behind her and swivels her waist back and forth bashfully.
"A kiss for good luck," she says.
Yamcha nods as butterflies rise through his stomach. He gives a little fistpump and heads for the tower. He breaks into a motivated sprint.
"Woohoo," he howls as he leaps from the ground. He ascends the tower faster than he has ever flown before.
"Train hard!" she calls after him.
Upa sneaks by their romantic scene as discreetly as he can with a large bag on his back made of animal hide. He tiptoes to the plane and opens the side door. He climbs inside to the left where the cargo area is. It is full of weird technological junk, so he drops his bag nearby.
A soft weep jolts him to attention. He sees Chichi curled up as small as she can be in a row of seats. He has not seen her since attending her wedding an odd number of years ago.
"I'm so sorry," he says bending into a bow. "I didn't realize anyone was in here. I'll leave right now."
He steps towards the exit. When his feet hit the grass, another weep escapes her. He looks back inside. He hesitates a moment before re-entering. He takes a seat in the same row but furthest from her. A moment of silence passes.
"I know there's nothing I can say to make you feel better," he finally says. "When I lost my father, many members of my tribe tried to empathize with me by saying they knew how I felt because they have lost loved ones too. But even if the situation is similar, the experience is completely different. No one knew how I felt, just like I couldn't know how they felt just because I lost my dad.
"But Goku was different. He didn't try to tell me he knew my pain because he once lost someone close to him. He took action to try and make it better. It's nice to hear that 'people are there for you when you need them,' but it always sounds a bit self serving, you know? I know they don't mean it that way, but it's like they want to feel important because they helped someone else through a tough time. But they aren't really doing anything at all. They will if you ask them, just not until then.
"Goku wasn't like that. He did everything he could to gather the Dragon Balls and wish my father back. And I'm going to do the same. But in the meantime, I know it's going to hurt while Goku's gone. I'm sorry I can't make that better by telling you I know how you feel."
No response. He stands up to leave.
"Thank you," comes a hushed voice.
Chichi sits up while wiping away tears from her eyes.
"To be honest," she says, "I'm not even sure how I feel yet. I'm still working it all out. So you're right, how could anyone else know?"
She stands up slowly on uneasy legs. Despite their unsteadiness, she feels like she can take on her first obstacle since the tragic experience that befell her. She gingerly steps outside into the sunlight and is filled with a minor sense of accomplishment. It is not much, but she is moving forward.
She attempts some bolder strides as she makes her way over to Korin Tower where Master Roshi and Yajirobe still stand.
"Good to see you up and about," says Master Roshi. "Are you thinking about making the climb?"
"Yes," she says. "I'm not really sure why though. I know one of Goku's martial arts instructors is up there, but I never really wanted to be a martial artist. I only started because my dad wanted me to. And then I kept after it because it was something Goku enjoyed so much.
"Honestly, becoming a mother gave me far more fulfillment than martial arts ever did. I guess right now I'm just looking for some sort of enlightenment about the situation I'm in, and I'm hoping to find it at the top of this tower. You wouldn't happen to have any wise words that might save me the effort do you?"
Master Roshi catches the faintest hint of a smile on her face.
"I wish I did," he says. "I could use a few myself. These are strange times."
"Hey Chichi," calls Bulma. She jogs over to the group. "I wanted to give you this."
She extends a hand holding the Four Star Dragon Ball.
"I know it isn't much, but I thought you should have it," she says. "At least until we make the wish to bring Goku back. Better not to keep them all together anyway. Just to be safe."
"Thank you Bulma. That's very kind," Chichi says taking the orb.
"I remember when I first met Goku in the woods," says Bulma. "And if not for that little jewel, I never would have. Goku is a true friend."
"Best student I ever had," says Master Roshi.
"He's a good man," affirms Yajirobe.
"Thank you all," says Chichi. "Thank you so much."