Mt. Paozu, 7th Universe.
I was practicing my karate katas, waiting for Goku to come home when I heard a loud rumbling noise. Goku was approaching the house, walking backward on a large section of log as it rolled forward under his feet. As he maintained his balance, he wildly waved a large timber saw around in one hand. As he came close, he jumped off and stopped the rolling wood with the other hand.
"I got the firewood Father, just like you asked," Goku informed me and I nodded gratefully.
"Nice work, Goku. Would you mind getting it ready for use while I get us food?" I asked and Goku nodded in agreement.
"No problem," Goku said as he carefully handed me the saw, and I put it away on my way to get food.
I arrived at the nearby river, closed my eyes and placed my palms together and breathed in and out deeply and attuned myself to nature as I gave thanks. I opened my eyes and unbuckled my sword's holster, took it off and placed it on the ground. I removed my vest and shirt then dove into the water and swam around looking for a fish. I soon saw a massive fish with sharp teeth that spotted me at the same time and as it rushed over to take a bite out of me, I twisted out of the way and killed it instantly with a swift kick to its side.
I grabbed the fish's tail and swam back up to the shore, leaped out of the water and dragged the fish with me as I returned to my sword, shirt, and vest. After getting dressed again, I dragged the fish back to the house just in time to see Goku tossing the log up in the air and jumping up after it. With a precise kick, Goku broke the wood into 15 rectangular pieces and I let go of the fish's tail so that I could start clapping.
"Excellent work, Goku. I also got us some food," I announced, dragging the fish again, and Goku's eyes widened excitedly at the sight.
"Wow Father, now that's what I call a fish!" Goku exclaimed in amazement and I smiled.
"I thought you might enjoy it, so how long do you think that this might last us?" I asked and Goku walked past me to take a closer look at the fish, nodding once he was done analyzing the massive fish.
"I'd say 'til about dinner," Goku stated and I laughed at Goku's humorous assessment while he smiled broadly.
Well then, I guess we better get this ready for lunch since I can't have you wait any longer now, can we?" I questioned with a foxy grin.
"No way, Father! I feel like I could eat a mountain!" Goku declared and I chuckled.
"With your appetite, you probably could," I joked and we laughed.
I enjoyed having Goku around since he helped ease the loneliness of living an ageless life, but I knew that he couldn't stay here forever because he needed to follow his own dreams, see the world with his own eyes, and make friends of his own age since living an isolated life in the wilderness is no place for a child and he couldn't rely on me forever because he needed to become more independent as he got older.
I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard rumbling in the distance. The noise caused Goku and me to look and see a car speeding toward us, kicking up dust from behind as it approached.
"Goku...I believe we're about to have some company," I stated, surprised at the fact that someone had traveled all the way out here.
We kept watched as the car approached, the sound of its engine scaring away any nearby wildlife as it got closer to our location. I was curious since people didn't travel to these parts for camping, hiking, or even to pass through in order to travel to a different location. I thought that Mt. Paozu was completely remote, though I guess I wasn't completely right about that.
"Still...why the hell would a stranger want to travel all the way out here?" I thought in confusion while I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
"Goku," I spoke up, causing him to look at me.
"Yes, Father?" Goku asked.
"This stranger, whoever they are, lives a life that is far different than ours so there's a chance that some things you might mention will be considered...um...unusual," I chose my words carefully.
"Things like what? You mean...like having a tail, or being an alien from space?" Goku asked, looking behind himself to see his tail swaying gently.
"Well...yes, there is that. You're one-of-a-kind Goku so just make sure to be yourself. And if this person is a girl, then what did Gohan and I have told you to do?" I inquired.
"Be as polite as I possibly can," Goku replied with a nod and I ruffled his hair gently.
"Exactly. Good kid," I complimented with a soft smile as we waited for the car to arrive.
The car had gotten closer to our position and slowed down until it came to a stop in front of us. The two of us waited for a few seconds until the driver side door opened and a teenaged girl stepped out. The girl had long blue hair in a ponytail that was tied in a red ribbon. She was wearing a pink short sleeved shirt with 'Bulma' written on the front, a short pink skirt, a brown glove on her right hand, and blue sneakers. Finally, she had a holstered handgun and a blue bag attached to a brown belt that she also wore.
I saw Goku looking at her curiously since this was the first time he had ever seen anyone besides Gohan and me, and the first time he had ever seen a girl or a woman before. This was something completely new for him.
"Oh, hi there. I didn't expect to see anyone all the way out in the mountains like this," the girl stated, and she blushed a little when she saw me.
"Likewise, because we both live here by ourselves honestly. I'm the one who is surprised to see someone travel this far off the grid, especially a young woman since it's never happened before," I explained.
The girl looked around and looked back at me as she said, "Well, this area is kinda not a place where a person would want to visit much less live, not with all of the dangerous creatures that can be found here. I mean, these mountains are cut off from any form of civilization."
"Well, I would imagine so since I moved out here to live a quiet and peaceful life. Forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Greg and this kid is my son," I introduced while placing a hand on top of Goku's head.
"Hello, my name is Goku. So you're a girl? Wow...you look so much different than I thought," Goku said with a wave.
"Oh my gosh, you mean to say that you have never seen a girl before?" the girl questioned with a look of surprise.
"No, you're the first one," Goku stated while shaking his head.
"His grandfather and I found him when he was three years old. He was alone and crying for his parents, so we raised him ourselves but because of that, he's never experienced anything outside of these mountains. We taught him as much as we possibly could by showing him the magazines and books that were collected over the years, but those could only do so much to educate a child," I explained while removing my hand from Goku's head.
"Oh wow, I never would've imagined. So his grandfather, where is he? I don't see him around," the girl pointed out and I grimaced while Goku had a look of guilt on his face.
"He...sadly passed away a long time ago and I've been taking care of Goku on my own since then," I said sorrowfully.
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories," the girl said sympathetically and I nodded.
"It's okay...anyway, who are you, Miss?" I changed the subject, clearly seeing what had to be her name on the front of her shirt but it would only seem fair if she introduced herself.
"My name is Bulma. It's a pleasure to meet the two of you since you seem like nice people," Bulma said with a small smile, holding out a hand to which I took and we exchanged a handshake.
"Bulma?" Goku wondered in confusion at the name before laughing a bit, "That's funny!"
"Hey! Goku's not exactly normal, so there!" Bulma retorted with a slight glare.
"Hehe, yeah, but it's not as weird as yours," Goku stated and laughed again, causing me to frown in disappointment as I looked down at him.
"Now, now, Goku. What did I just say? Make sure to be polite," I lectured and Goku stopped laughing as he looked up at me. Goku nodded while I turned my attention to Bulma once more, who was still shooting irritated looks at him.
"Please excuse him, because he didn't mean to upset you. As I said, he's never experienced anything from modern civilization before so this is all completely new to him," I explained while bowing sheepishly.
"Well, it would still be nice if he knew some manners...I mean really," Bulma huffed while crossing her arms.
"Excuse me, you're driving a car so does that mean you came from one of the big cities?" Goku asked her.
"You got it," Bulma confirmed and Goku smiled.
"Awesome! So, that means you have a lot to tell about what it's like living in one. Father, can she have lunch with us?" Goku inquired and I placed a hand on my chin thoughtfully.
I had always smiled at Goku's excitement whenever he talked about wanting to explore the world, but he never had the guidance or transportation needed to help him find his way through the vast unknown and I was too busy taking care of him to take him flying around the world.
"Hmm...I wonder if this young woman will be able to provide that for him, but the real question is can she be trusted since we know practically nothing about her? Well, if Goku does decide to go with her, then I need to be with him just in case she isn't trustworthy since Goku doesn't know just how dangerous the rest of the world really is," I thought as I looked at Goku.
"I think that would be a wonderful idea, Goku. I'd like to know a bit more about Miss Bulma myself," I agreed and looked at the woman in question, "That is if you are interested since you seem to be in a rush to get somewhere else."
"Miss Bulma? Oh, you're just too kind but Bulma is good enough for me. Now, hold on just a second please," Bulma said as she reached into her blue bag and took out some form of radar that Goku and I were unable to see clearly.
Bulma pushed the button on the top and I heard a distinct beeping coming from it, causing Goku and me to look at each other in confusion since we didn't know what that thing was.
"Well, alright. So, what's the agenda?" Bulma asked after putting the radar back in her bag.
"Well...we can have lunch, maybe exchange a few stories and endeavors about our experiences and whatnot. And if it becomes too late in the day, then you are more than welcome to stay the night and leave tomorrow," I suggested and was taken aback a little when she showed me a look of suspicion.
"Wait...you're not one of those creepy guys who try to do improper things to women like a common pervert, are you?" Bulma questioned and I gasped in shock at the accusation.
I quickly shook my hands and head while I assured, "Oh, heavens no! I would never do anything so improper to any woman, especially a nice young woman such as yourself. Besides, I'm really not interested in having a relationship with anyone right now even if I wanted to."
"Alright, you seem like a nice guy so I wouldn't mind taking you up on that offer of yours," Bulma agreed with a smile after staring at me for a little bit.
I could've sworn I caught a hint of disappointment in Bulma's eyes, but I shook it off just as Goku got my attention by gently tugging on my pant leg.
"Father, doesn't improper means to 'do something wrong'? Why would she think you'd do that?" Goku asked innocently with a curious expression, and I blinked a few times while blushing and turned my head to the right with a sweat-drop. I heard Bulma giggling and I looked to see her covering her mouth with a look of amusement.
I just nervously laughed and waved my hand as I evaded, "Oh, it's nothing Goku. You'll...understand when you're older. Anyway, let's go since it'll take a while to get the food ready."
"So, what are we having anyways?" Bulma inquired.
"That," Goku stated while pointing at the massive dead fish.
"Fish, huh? Well, I guess that'll be alright," Bulma agreed as Goku grabbed the tail of the fish and started dragging it back to the hut, Bulma and I following after him.
Pretty soon, we were standing in front of the hut and Bulma said, "Wow, that's a nice little place you two have...wait, is that a log cabin I see in the distance?"
"Yeah, that's my place over there. They may not seem like much, but they're our homes. Goku, you get the spark rocks and I'll get the fire and the fish ready," I instructed and Goku nodded.
"Okay," Goku said before turning to Bulma and adding, "Come on, you can check out Grandpa's house if you like."
As Goku and Bulma went inside, I got the campfire set up and placed sticks around it. Then, I went over to the giant fish and breathed deeply until my eyes hardened, and I grabbed the fish with one hand and threw it up into the air while I placed the other hand on the handle of my sword. I jumped up after the fish and pulled out my sword, performing an impressive display of swordsmanship while I sliced the fish into many pieces that fell and landed perfectly onto the sticks.
I landed onto the ground gracefully and closed my eyes, breathing calmly and deeply as I slowly lowered the blade in front of me and then I holstered it. I placed my palms together and bowed just as a commotion broke out in Gohan's house, which startled me and I rushed into the house to find a messy sight. I spotted Bulma laying on the short table with the four-star crystal ball that Gohan had always kept, and I saw Goku sitting against a wall and rubbing his head while a few things were on the floor in a heap.
"What the heck is going on in here?!" I questioned in disbelief at the ridiculous sight and Bulma flinched.
"Oh, well...um..." Bulma tried to explain, only to be cut off when Goku hopped up to his feet and pointed at her.
"Father, she's bad! She's trying to steal Grandpa's crystal ball that he kept in his red box!" Goku accused, prompting Bulma to stand up and glare down at him.
"I was not trying to steal it! If you would just let me explain, then you'd know why I wanted to see it!" Bulma countered hotly.
"Well, you could've asked first at least!" Goku shot back and I decided to end this argument as I entered the hut.
"Alright, there's no need to shout you two. Goku, I'm sure that Bulma has a reason for her actions so we should give her a chance to explain why, don't you think?" I lectured calmly.
I noticed Bulma sticking her tongue out in a childish manner until I rounded on her, "And Bulma, you would do well to listen to Goku because it's rude to look through other people's belongings and not to mention it's very disrespectful since that ball belonged to Gohan before he died. Next time, please make sure you ask before touching anything else."
"What?! But...but..." Bulma sputtered incredulously while Goku also stuck out his tongue, which caused her to growl lowly.
"But first, I'll go get the food cooking and then we can discuss the issue that Bulma wishes to speak about," I stated as I went to a small box on a shelf and took out the spark rocks.
I left the house and headed to the campfire, using the spark rocks to light up the campfire and I blew on it to make the embers into a fire. Once I was done, I called for the others and they left the hut to sit down on two handmade stools that were near the campfire. I took two pieces of fish and handed them to the others but I wanted to ask what had occurred in the hut.
"So, could you two mind telling me what had happened in there? Bulma, I think you should explain yourself so that we don't start misjudging you," I said and Bulma nodded.
"Yeah, I know. I was telling Goku some of the reasons but it would be better if you both heard it. Now Goku, would you mind showing your Grandpa's trinket?" Bulma suggested, and Goku lowered his hands to show that he was still holding the crystal ball.
"Sure. We were talking about this, Father. She said that it was special," Goku said as I took it and examined the ball.
"This little thing? Gohan once told me that he found it many years ago when he was settling on Mt. Paozu. It was actually in the space where his house is currently standing before he built it. He told me that it was unlike anything he had ever seen before and that it looks pretty valuable, so he kept it as a good-luck charm," I explained while I held the ball, and Bulma smirked.
"Oh, it's valuable alright. See, this little beauty is called a Dragon Ball," Bulma told me.
"A Dragon Ball?" I questioned in confusion.
"Yes, that's right. Here, let me show you something," Bulma said as she reached into her bag and took out two more Dragon Balls, one that had two stars on it and the other had five stars on it.
As she placed them near the one I was holding, all three started to glow as they resonated with each other. Goku and I stared at the phenomenon in awe and I couldn't help but recall my father telling me a story about similar orbs that were larger than a planet.
"They remind me of the Wish Granting Orbs my father told me about...maybe these are just like them but way smaller," I thought as Bulma put away the two balls.
"That's pretty cool, huh?" Bulma asked.
"It's incredible...but, if you have two of them, then why do you want the one we have?" I inquired curiously.
"See, the Dragon Balls' true power is revealed when all seven of them are brought together. They're kinda useless by themselves. Ever since I found one in my parents' attic and looked them up in mythology, I've been searching for them ever since. Yeah, these gems have the power to do great things and not so great. Like if a truly twisted person got ahold of these balls, then he could cause horrible things to happen," Bulma replied, and I felt a chill at the implications of a deranged psychopath getting their hands on them.
"Well...what do these things do?" Goku asked as Bulma placed two and five star balls on the ground, and I placed the four-star ball next to them.
"You sure you want to know?" Bulma inquired and we nodded.
"Okay, it's basically like this," Bulma started to explain.
Unknown to us, Bulma wasn't the only person searching for the Dragon Balls. Three individuals consisting of a blue imp wearing a tunic and a multi-colored hat, an anthropomorphic Shiba Inu dressed in a ninja outfit, and an Asian woman with a dark military uniform and trench coat had arrived at old ruins and opened one of the doors to find the one-star ball at the end of the room.
"Ah, there it is," the imp said gleefully while the ninja dog looked nervous.
"Oh crap, it looks awfully dark in there, Sire," the dog whimpered.
"Shut the fuck up, Shu!" the imp snapped at him as they entered the room.
Pretty soon, they arrived at the pedestal where the one-star ball was at and the imp laughed triumphantly as he went to take it off the pedestal.
"Ah, come to Emperor Pilaf my precious, yes," Pilaf declared just as one of the suits of armor tipped over and landed on him. Pilaf yelped in alarm just as the helmet opened up to show a human skull inside.
"Argh! Get the hell off of me you damn bonehead!" Pilaf exclaimed in irritation while he frantically shoved the dead body off of him.
When the dead body landed, bats flew from the ceiling and left the room just as Pilaf added, "Well, enough of that crap because I'm ready to make my wish."
"Sir," the woman interjected.
"What?!" Pilaf growled as he whipped his head at her.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't make a wish with just one ball because you need to have the others as well," the woman informed him and Pilaf shot her a look of disbelief.
"There are seven Dragon Balls Sire, so you have to unite all seven of them before the dragon can appear and grant your wish," the woman explained and Pilaf looked crestfallen as he stared at the one-star ball.
"Oh God, more searching?" Pilaf whimpered in shock at the thought of traveling to Lord knows how many places to find six more balls.
"But just imagine dear Emperor...that glorious day when the seven Dragon Balls are finally brought together, a beautiful burst of energy will erupt and light the sky, and then that blazing firey surge of power...the Eternal Dragon will rise before you for the sole purpose of granting you a single wish, whatever it may be," the woman described.
"Yes, yes, I can see it...well, okay, I guess I can handle a little more searching. Any wish I want, huh? Well then, I want to rule the entire world!" Pilaf declared and laughed in glee as he thought about millions of people bowing to him.
Once Bulma was done explaining, Goku and I were amazed at the fact that something like that existed and that they were just like the Wish Granting Orbs my father told me about. Still, I never knew that the very artifact that Gohan had kept for many years was part of a greater power that was beyond anyone's comprehension, but I was still concerned about the fact that such a power was too dangerous for anybody to discover and God help this planet if a lunatic got their hands on these orbs and made their wish.
"Amazing...so, how many people know about this incredible discovery?" I asked, gazing at the Dragon Balls once more.
"Honestly, not that many. The truth is that the three of us are some of the few rare people in the world that even know about the Dragon Balls or the Dragon," Bulma answered.
"You won't mix ours up with yours, right?" Goku inquired.
"Don't worry because that's impossible since each Dragon Ball has a certain number of stars in it. See, this one has five," Bulma explained while showing us the five-star ball.
"Oh, I get it! The ball Grandpa kept has four stars!" Goku said with a smile.
"Now you're catching on," Bulma stated and laughed a little in excitement as she added, "I can't believe I already have three of the balls. If I keep this up, I'll be able to wish for a boyfriend by the end of next month! This is so exciting!"
I blinked in response and was completely speechless from the wish Bulma wanted, just as I face-faulted and my right foot twitched a little in the air. Of all the things anyone could use the power of a magic dragon, she wants to use it to wish for a boyfriend?! I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life, and that's saying something.
"I don't think I'll ever understand teenagers," I thought with a sigh.
"Huh? Father, what's up? You just fell," Goku pointed out in concern as I stood up and sat back down.
"It's...it's nothing Goku, I was just leaning forward a little too much and I guess I slipped," I evaded while I was looking at him with an awkward grin.
"Anyway, you two will let me use your Dragon Ball so that I can make my wish, right?" Bulma asked with an eager expression.
"Hmmm," I hummed and started stroking my chin thoughtfully.
I really couldn't refuse her since it technically wouldn't be the right thing to do, but then an idea sparked off in my head as I looked at the Dragon Balls. All this time I had always wondered what had happened to Goku's parents and the Saiyan race ever since he was sent here and Bulma had been on this quest for a while now, so I could make a wish from the Dragon Balls by asking the Dragon what had happened to Goku's parents and the Saiyan race.
The only thing I needed to do is to come with Bulma and try to convince her to let me ask the Dragon about the fate of Goku's parents and the Saiyan race. But what still concerned me is that if what she said about other people with less than pure intentions knowing about these ancient artifacts was true, then there was a high possibility that this journey of hers would get even more dangerous from here on out, and that gun that's holstered on her belt wouldn't do much against a person who was capable of the fighting prowess Goku and I had.
I set my sights on Goku and became more convinced about my idea about the two of us coming along with her, and Gohan would've understood if it was for good intentions.
"Okay, I don't see any harm in it and Gohan would've understood that letting you have it is the better option, especially if you are putting it to good use," I agreed, causing Bulma to jump from her seat in glee as she grabbed my hands and shook them rapidly.
"Oh thank you, thank you, and thank you! You don't know how great that is to hear! I really am on a roll!" Bulma exclaimed in excitement and went to reach for the ball that Goku was holding, only to be stopped when I held a hand up.
"But only on one condition, I want you to take me and Goku with you on your journey," I stated, surprising Goku and Bulma.
"What? Really?" Bulma wondered as she looked at Goku, who got up and walked over to me.
"Father, how come you want us to go with her? Why can't we stay here?" Goku questioned curiously and I knelt down so that I could rest my hands on his shoulders.
"Goku, I care for you deeply and only ever wanted what was best for you. I know that I've done a good job raising you ever since Gohan passed away so I can trust you and your actions, no matter where you go. But you're still just a boy and there's a whole world out there that you need to discover and experience for yourself, a life that you can't find by staying in these mountains, new places to go and even more people to meet.
Besides, I believe that you could hone your skills even more by learning from others besides just myself and fighting opponents that can push your limits. You'd learn so much more and see things that don't compare to pictures. I would be very proud if you do and the reason why I'm coming along is that I want to see how much the world has changed for the past nine years since I've been here," I explained and Goku smiled broadly at my reasoning.
"Wow, that sure sounds like fun! I'll go!" Goku declared excitingly and I turned to look at Bulma.
"I hope that you don't mind if we go with you, but just in case you do I've trained my son for years in the study of Martial Arts, not to mention that I'm pretty capable of defending myself in a fight and we could be your bodyguards if the situation calls for it," I said and Bulma perked up.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea. I mean having two travel partners sounds great so I would've agreed anyway, but bodyguards that are capable of protecting me when I need it is even better. I'd be willing to take you two along for the ride," Bulma agreed and I laughed slightly.
"Excellent. Now with that settled, would you mind giving her the ball, Goku?" I asked as Goku went over to Bulma and held out the ball to her.
"Here ya' go. I can't wait for Father and me to go on this adventure with you," Goku told her, and Bulma smiled as she took the Dragon Ball in her left hand while holding out her right hand. Goku stared at it for a few seconds before he took her hand and they shook on it.
"Likewise, so we're partners now? Something tells me that things are going to get pretty interesting from now on," Bulma stated happily.
"Young lady...you have absolutely no idea," I thought mirthfully as I could only imagine the look on her face when she realizes what Goku and I are really capable of, and how she'll react to somehow discovering Goku's more...beastly side in the future and I had to hold back a chuckle at the expression that she would probably show, though hopefully, it would never happen anytime soon.
Over lunch, we all shared stories about our experiences though I had to tell half-truths about my past since it was far too unbelievable and there wasn't a lot I could say other than my former life on Earth in the 8th Universe and my experiences in raising Goku after Gohan died. Some were funny, some were not, and the rest was just plain strange since Goku spoke of how he liked to train by fighting against the many beasts of these large mass of plains and forests, to which Bulma looked at him like he was completely out of his mind since any one of the beasts in Mt. Paozu could tear apart a professional fighter.
Bulma had explained the full story about how she discovered the legend of the Dragon Balls and since she apparently came from a family of expert scientists, she was able to construct a radar dubbed the 'Dragon Radar' to find the others. Other than that, her life besides finding the two-star ball and the five-star ball, was a pretty uneventful one though she did find out that Goku and I had pretty big appetites and she couldn't stop staring at us in disbelief as we finished the rest of the fish once she couldn't eat anymore.
After we were done with lunch, Bulma told us that she wanted to get a move on to make headway but I had pointed out that it was getting dark and the roads would become too dangerous at night due to all of the nocturnal beasts coming out for food, and she agreed while taking out a Capsule and activating it before she tossed it near Gohan's house.
I wasn't surprised as Goku was when the Capsule caused a house to appear in a cloud of smoke since I've seen these things in the catalogs in Gohan's house, and Bulma and I had to explain the use of Capsules in modern society and how it wasn't related to magic or witchcraft in any way which caused Goku to be even more excited about the journey we were going to go on.
As night soon fell, I had gone to my cabin and packed the essentials for the trip and met up with Goku inside the hut just as he was looking out the window, and we could see that all the lights in Bulma's Capsule House were turned off, meaning that she had finally turned in for the night which is what we were waiting for.
Not only was this the last day of the month, but it was also the last full moon sighting too and I was honestly hoping that Bulma would stay the night so that Goku and I could get in this last bit of training, Goku especially was hoping for it since the Great Ape training was his most favorite kind and he would always have this extra burst of energy on these days because of how eager he was for nightfall.
"Okay Goku, now's the time. Let's make sure to go somewhere extra far this time since there's no guarantee that Bulma won't hear all the commotion and be startled awake from it, not to mention that it's the least we can do," I told Goku, who nodded in agreement but couldn't stop grinning in excitement since his anticipation was outweighing his need to be cautious.
So we left the hut and slowly closed the doors just in case since we could never be too careful, especially with a sleeping neighbor. I didn't know if she was a light sleeper or not but tonight was a night that we didn't want to find out. We wouldn't want to accidentally wake Bulma up and have her ask questions about where we were going in the dead of the night. I glanced up at the dark, star-filled night sky and saw that it was mostly clear, except for a few clouds that were blocking the light of the moon. The darkness was lucky for us because it gave us extra time to travel farther distance before we began with the training.
I didn't know how long we traveled but I knew that it was long enough since the clouds had blown away from the light wind and I could see Goku struggling not to look up, the light from the full moon clearly taunting him like a fish to the bait. Goku was being patient since I had to give him the all-clear before he could do so, but I didn't blame him for being eager since the change was a euphoric experience unlike any other and I was also excited to change into a Great Ape as well.
I looked around and saw that we were in a new location on Mt. Paozu now, seeing that we were in an area that was a mix of plains and a very rocky terrain with giant boulders, ledges, and mountains that were closer viewing distance, or a shooting range in our case. Goku bounced on his toes while I observed the area to see how useful it could be to serve two giant apes, and I nodded as I gained some distance by jumping up to the top of a rocky pillar and sitting on it cross-legged.
"Alright Goku, let's begin," I said as I was trying to hold in my anticipation, removing my holstered sword and placing it down before I jumped down to the ground.
"Alright, finally!" Goku exclaimed as he removed his wrist bands and other articles of clothing.
The disrobing was a mandatory process since he completely ripped apart his first set clothes because of the transformation all those years ago. I was working on a way to alter his clothes so that they would grow and expand along with him, though I was close to creating a ki technique that would make it possible. It wasn't ready yet and I didn't want Goku to keep destroying his clothes during the transformation time and time again, so Goku being constantly naked didn't bother either of us at all.
Usually, parents or grandparents are used to seeing their children fully nude, considering they had to clean and clothe them during the first few years after they were born. For Goku, stripping to his birthday suit, as strange as it was, became just as natural as putting clothes on...a small side-effect of changing into a giant ape every month for the past nine years.
With a deep breath, Goku tilted his head upwards and took a longing gaze at the moon, though the effect was never instantaneous since it took a few seconds for the moon's Blutz waves to kick in...but when they did, Goku or I felt the full effects. Goku once described to me that during the first few years, he never noticed the transformation occur since he would black out after he had felt his pulse began to race.
But when he would come to, he would find me as a Great Ape and we would be standing at the height of two titans overlooking the landscape. Nowadays he's been able to remain fully conscious through the change and he told me that the sensation nearly overwhelmed him every time since it was actually a step-by-step process.
When Goku twitched and his tail spasmed, I grew mine out and looked up at the moon to get started myself. I felt the same tingling spark shoot through me and my heart rate started to slowly increase while my breathing became heavy and my eyes turned red, my vision enhanced and my teeth grew sharp. I ran my tongue across my teeth and started grinning ferally as my muscles grew and expanded dramatically. I looked at Goku and saw his red iris and pupils vanish entirely, leaving only the white sclera to be seen while his teeth sharpened and his body was bulking up.
My body was growing while my tail and bones were getting bigger in density but like always, there was a euphoric sensation that removed any pain I could be feeling while my senses became overloaded, growing more and more sensitive as the change progressed. Now came the slight fit of itchiness that became a warm blanketing-like sensation as brown fur grew all over and my feet shifted into hand-like appendages. Finally, my facial features started morphing as my clothes grew and expand to fit my size. My face slowly elongated into a muzzle, two thick tracks of fur framed the sides of my head, and my ears stretched into points while my eyes became completely red during my gaze across the vast, rocky, landscape.
Once our transformations were complete, Goku and I raised our arms into the air and let loose deafening roars that echoed into the night, and no doubt disturbed all the animals in the nearby and far off vicinities as we started pounding our chests and kept letting out roars of joy and pleasure. Eventually, we calmed down and lowered our arms, breathing deeply, looking at each other and grinning.
"Hahaha, I'll never get tired of that!" Goku stated, looking up at the moon, the one object that can activate the true power of a Saiyan.
Goku once asked me how it was possible his tail and Saiyan biology is capable of achieving such a transformation, but I told him that there was a lot of scientific reasoning behind it that he wouldn't be able to understand and Goku decided that it was easier to not question it since I had a point, especially if the Great Ape form was beneficial to him.
"I can see that, considering the fact that you also do it every time we transform, Goku. Just like me, you seem to enjoy the transformation and in fact, I would say you've grown, not literally, attached to being a Great Ape over the years," I remarked with a smirk as I crossed my arms, my tail twitching lazily.
"Yeah...I don't know if it is because I'm an alien, but I like it a lot. I mean, being like this feels...um...what's the word?" Goku wondered while scratching his head in confusion.
"I think the word you're looking for is natural," I finished for him helpfully and Goku nodded.
"Yeah, something like that. Plus, being a Great Ape is still super cool!" Goku exclaimed with a big fanged smile, making me let out a bellowing laugh.
I could still remember all those years ago when Goku first transformed and he despised it after Gohan was accidentally killed by him, but as he trained over the years to control it and I told him the benefits of the Great Ape form, he reluctantly accepted it and eventually grew to like it. Now, he could never wait to become like this but there were a few instances where I was a bit concerned that Goku would lose control, especially after the performance he likes to put on every time the transformation was complete but I decided that Goku should let his primal instincts take control temporarily.
The only thing I hoped for was that Goku could stay in control so that another incident like Gohan's death would never happen again.
"Well...this is possibly going to be the last time we train as Great Apes because, after this, we're going to need to make sure we don't change by accident and scare Bulma half to death in the process. We need to make the most of this right now," I instructed and Goku nodded.
"Okay Father, let's do this," Goku agreed and we got started.
Once again, we commenced our night of training and I made sure to make all of Goku's sessions as grueling as possible, be it either day or night. As always, we started out with the basics of cardio and speed workouts, where Goku had to run a total of thirty laps around the massive earth-covered field. To not slow his pace, Goku was forced to dodge the huge rocky stalagmites that reached to the middle of his chest, though there used to be a time where trying to maneuver his bulky legs like this would either result in him kicking something down/over or cause him to accidentally trip and crash to the ground.
Not to mention that he had to get used to the power and length of his tail at an enormous size so it didn't smash anything either. The efforts to increase Goku's strength seemed to be getting harder and harder with each passing year since his giant ape form would adapt to any continuous strain that was placed on it, which made me improvise time and time again. Bench pressing a massive boulder, climbing up and down mountainsides a few times, and even doing a multitude of different kinds of push-ups since his body was a large ton of pure muscle itself. Since all of those methods were no longer producing results anymore, I focused on other aspects.
I worked to have Goku hone his increased senses over time, mainly his sight, hearing, and smell by taking a small but noticeable shiny object and throwing it in a random location while telling Goku not to look. I would cover said object in whatever bearable fragrance I was in possession of or could find, then I would instruct Goku to pay attention to the sound of where the object went and have him use his sense of smell to track it down. Goku would use his sense of smell to try and find the specific scent the object was covered in to help find its location, then Goku would only do a bit of visual searching before he found what he was looking for since this wasn't particularly easy and took time to complete.
The martial arts practices became more intense but they also became easier as well since Goku was now capable of nearly matching the acrobatic and flexible expertise he possessed in his human form and was pretty swift in his strikes, no matter how much extra bulk he had. At the end of the night, we got started on energy beam blasts, which was one of Goku's favorite lessons.
Since he had finally mastered harnessing his ki last year to project his Mouth Beam attack, Goku had been eager to train with it even more than his previous exercises. Since he didn't really know how else he should work on it, I came up with ideas for him. I had once described to him that I was also able to project my energy outwards and demonstrated by firing off a small ki beam from my fingertips to cut a short but thick tree in half. I told Goku that performing such a technique took a level of precision and control he didn't have yet, so we settled for the Mouth Beam instead. I had noticed once that while Goku's attack is incredibly destructive and powerful, it had two weaknesses like the few seconds of charge time and the number of times fired.
No matter how strong Goku became, it always took a few seconds of gathering the energy before he released it...plus the more he used it the quicker he exhausted himself, especially with the continuous use. Releasing a blast to decimate mountains would tire anything out, even giant alien gorillas so my solution was that Goku would charge the beam with less energy before firing. This method would cut down the charge time by two seconds and the beam became a blast instead, using even less energy allowed for rapid fire of three blasts.
When it's used on a mountain, the Mouth Blast blew off a good portion of it instead of destroying the whole thing but it was what Goku needed if he had to hit multiple targets from a distance while not wasting much energy in the process.
Once the special night training was done, we turned in for the night with Goku sleeping in a somewhat comfortable position against a big cliff and leaning on my furry arm slightly. While Goku was sleeping, I managed to come up with a ki technique to have his clothes grow and expand during the transformation and I fired a small beam of ki on the clothes, where they glowed until I stopped firing.
"Now, I can only hope that it works or Goku will rip apart his second pair of clothes," I thought while making myself comfortable and falling asleep.
Before I knew it, morning had arrived and when we walked back to the house we were surprised to see Bulma sitting on one of the wooden stools outside, her elbow resting on her knee and her head in her hand as she slept while her hair looked a bit...uneven with bags under her eyes. I noticed that her capsule house was gone and I deduced that she changed it back to its confined form.
"Oh boy, looks like someone didn't get much sleep," I muttered while Goku went inside the hut, and I gently shook her awake just as Goku came out with his Power Pole strapped to his back.
"Huh? Oh...hey there Greg," Bulma said, then stood up and stretched, yawning.
"Geez, Bulma...did you not get enough sleep last night? Are you okay?" I asked in concern as Bulma yawned again.
"I'm okay and I did...for about an hour and the next thing I knew, I hear some very loud roaring from out of nowhere that scared me half to death but it didn't stop there though. There was a bunch of loud booming noises and I felt the ground shake a few times, so I was too scared to get back to bed.
With something like that going on, I thought a monster was gonna come out of nowhere and probably crush my house or something. Now...I'm running on nothing but fumes and caffeine," Bulma explained in a slight downcast.
Goku and I blinked before looking at each other and sweat-dropping since we knew that we were being very loud last night. It was impossible not to be as giant hulking beasts...but I didn't know that we were also disturbing Bulma.
"More like traumatized," I thought as I cleared my throat and explained, "Actually Bulma, you're only half right. There were two giant beasts that you heard last night. They actually travel all around the mountains and like to come here on the nights of the full moon, but they're not dangerous...unless provoked."
"Ah, you're kidding, right?! Do you mean to say that there are some kinda huge monsters living here?!" Bulma exclaimed, now looking fully awake and alarmed.
"Yes, there are...but like I said, there is nothing to worry about because they already left somewhere this morning. We don't know where they go but we never question it," I replied with a nod, prompting Bulma to lean in a bit closer.
"You've seen them?! What do they look like?!" Bulma questioned.
"Well...two massive fifty story apes," I answered with a slightly nervous grin, and Bulma gaped at the description.
"D-Did you just say...two massive apes? Are...you serious?!" Bulma exclaimed in shock and I nodded.
"I'm incredibly serious," I stated and Bulma nearly fell back into her seat.
"Oh wow, so...I got the "luck of the draw" when I came here, huh?" Bulma sighed as she headed to her bag and looked through it, "Well, that kinda brought down my morale a bit, but this is hopefully going to bring it back up in no time. Goku, Greg, come here real quick."
"Uh, okay," Goku said as we went over to Bulma, who was holding the radar down so that we both could see it.
Bulma pushed the top to turn it on and I could see three dots at our location, two at the north that seemed to be spaced apart, one at the east, and the last one at the west that seemed to fade in and out.
"So, which Dragon Ball are we going to get first?" Goku asked and Bulma pointed at the one that kept fading in and out.
"Well...it looks like the closest ball is right here, about 750 miles to the west," Bulma informed him and I frowned.
"Hmmm...that's not very close," I stated thoughtfully and Bulma nodded in agreement as she put away the radar and took out her Capsule case.
"Yeah, it's not exactly in our walking distance but it's a good thing we still have my car. I was worried that those ape monsters might come here and destroy it, then I wouldn't be able to get to my motorcycle in time so I put it away," Bulma explained.
I scratched the back of my head and grimaced, feeling very embarrassed that Goku and I had seriously frightened her so much and decided that Goku and I should be extra careful from now on so it doesn't happen again.
"Well... as Father said, they never come here," Goku reassured hesitantly, looking at me uneasily.
"Precaution never hurt anyone," Bulma stated as she took out a Capsule and pushed the button.
Goku took a few steps back as Bulma tossed the Capsule nearby and it exploded into a cloud of smoke, the cloud clearing up to show us the car sitting there in the clearing.
"Fuck me...wish we had those back on my home planet in the 8th Universe," I thought as Bulma started heading to it.
"Alright, let's head out!" Bulma declared as she got in the car.
"One second!" I called out to her, causing Bulma to look at me in confusion as Goku and I went over to the hut.
We folded our legs under ourselves and sat down, the two of us bowing our heads slightly and placing our hands together in a traditional Japanese prayer as we closed our eyes.
"Gohan, wish us well on our journey and pray for our safety as well as Bulma's," I thought and opened my eyes, looking at Goku to see him staring back.
We nodded to each other and stood up, bowing at the hut one last time and headed to the car where Bulma was waiting.
"Alright, we're ready," I stated and noticed that the car was only meant for two people.
"What is it?" Bulma inquired as I looked thoughtful, then I laughed sheepishly as I scratched the back of my head.
"Um...I can't get in because Goku will be in the passenger seat and the car is only meant for two people," I pointed out and Bulma sweat-dropped at the obvious problem I noted.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Greg...maybe I could loan you one of my vehicle Capsules? That could fix the problem, right?" Bulma offered and I held up a hand while shaking my head.
"No thank you, I'd rather do things the old fashioned way...not to mention that I haven't driven for eons," I muttered the last part and added, "You know what, I'll just sit on the roof if that's okay."
Bulma did a double take at that and before she could protest, I jumped up and landed onto the roof. I sat down and crossed my legs together, looking to see Goku getting into the car and I grinned at the adventure that was starting before my eyes.
"Somehow, I get the feeling that this journey is going to be the start of something greater," I thought after Bulma gave up on lecturing me about safety and started driving us off of the property.
A/N Oh Greg, you have no idea just how right you are. So, this has to be one of the longest chapters I've made and I just wanted you all to know that this chapter and the one before that is an inspiration to the story Monkey See Monkey Do that was created by Dimension Distorter, so be sure to give it a read since it is an interesting story that I enjoy.
One more thing, Goku is going to be smarter and more serious than in canon since he already knows about his heritage and Gohan's death, but he will have his goofy moments because he wouldn't be Goku if he was serious all the time. I hope you all like the chapter so stay tuned for the next one.