"What a curious land!" Nam exclaimed while staring through the window of Muten Roshi's jet as it hovered over a swampy patch of land as far as the eye could have seen. Syrup-colored mush covered the land while a rare batch of plump, mushroom-shaped trees littered the place, doing little good in obstructing its humid sights. "It's like water covers the entire land but you can't drink it!"
"Actually, you can drink it!" Artificial Human No. 8 proclaimed, looking mighty proud of being able to illuminate his traveling companion. "You just use sand and charcoal and build a filter for it. Even a thick mush like this one might provide ample drinkable water if you boil it out and evaporate it, then gather it and filter it all at once."
"The Dragon Ball is somewhere nearby, in this massive bog area," Muten Roshi stated while staring through the front window at the natural hazard below them. "It might be troublesome finding it, but not as hard as it will be to remove it from this goopy dirt. We don't yet know how deep the bog is, for all we know, it might very well swallow us whole when we take a step on the ground."
"That won't be a problem, I'll just swoop down and push the bog away with a Kiai blast, then scoop the ball up and fly back. No need to take us down." Chi-Chi stood up and flexed her head a pair of times, placing her hand on the side door and pulling the handle that opened it up.
"Please, allow me." Nam stood up from his seat and raised his sideways, turned palm up to his face as he approached the open door. "The warriors of my tribe can hold their breath for over fifty minutes and can withstand tremendous pressure at the very bottom of a quicksand pit."
"Really? That's impressive!" Artificial Human No. 8 turned to Nam. The native warrior smirked with a warrior's pride frozen in his expression before taking a bold plunge down into the bog. With just the first touch of his feet to the ground, the swamp split wide and gobbled the martial artist up to his knees, beginning to swallow him up whole.
"Damn, I can't home in any more precisely over the Dragon Ball's location. It might be at any depth, it might be here or a few meters in either direction. Troublesome doesn't begin to describe it," Muten Roshi stroked his beard.
"Actually, the deeper the swamp goes, the denser the floor becomes. That means that the Dragon Ball, depending on its composition, can only be at around…" Artificial Human No. 8 froze in place as his eyes stretched wider and his pupils became static before resuming normal activity. "At around six to eight meters deep. Any deeper than that and the bog would push it back up to the surface."
"That's impressive!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "You must be really smart to calculate all that stuff! Maybe I should let Gohan-chan study with you sometime…"
"Dr. Puri has been upgrading me from time to time. She's been able to massively improve on my performance though she seemed keen to remove Dr. Flappe's microchips and any trace of his work on me, calling it "useless" and a "detriment to a polished work of art"." Artificial Human No. 8 pointed out. "With her aid and maintenance, I've become not only better at basic intelligence tasks but also much stronger as a fighter too. I still don't much enjoy fighting though… I haven't met your son, but I'd very much like to. If I can teach him a thing or two in the process, all the better."
"I don't much like that floozy, not with how she keeps staring at Goku-sa!" Chi-Chi crossed her arms over her chest, turning her sour face away from Artificial Human No. 8.
"Say, Artificial Human No. 8, aren't you a robot of sorts?" Muten Roshi wondered.
"Something like that. I am an artificial construct implanted into the framework of a dead body, to provide me with a more human appearance. That's why I need maintenance from time to time because the dead body that Dr. Gero and Dr. Flappe placed my skeleton and integral parts in keeps decomposing. Dr. Puri even thought about creating a whole new, artificial body and transplant my parts into it but she said it'd be too much of a hassle for a mere test subject." Artificial Human No. 8 pointed out.
"So, in other words, you don't really need to breathe…" Muten Roshi pointed down at the bog where Nam had been struggling against the treacherous floor, despite his grand confidence that he could handle even complete submersion.
"That is true. I could have jumped down instead. Hold on, Nam-san! I'm coming to assist you!" Artificial Human No. 8 yelled out and approached the jet door, pushing it open and dropping with his arms and legs spread out wide, as if he tried to body slam the entire planet. The splash that Artificial Human No. 8 made raised a colossal bubble of wet filth that burst with such thunderous blast that it almost threw the airborne jet Muten Roshi and Chi-Chi hung out in off-balance.
"Oh no… I seem to have made a grievous miscalculation…" Artificial Human No. 8 scratched his head as the swamp began gobbling him up almost as fast as a pool of water would have swallowed a belly-flopping ordinary human. "The tremendous mass of my skeleton and body parts will make me sink all the way to the bottom… This isn't good…"
"I see that Dr. Puri also conveniently didn't upgrade that big lug with jet boots either." Chi-Chi turned her nose up, resigning to the fate that she would need to go down and rescue both oafs from the treacherous swamp.
"I guess you'll have to dive and get dirty, Chi-Chi, sorry about that." A malicious spark shined off of Muten Roshi's shades as he gazed farther off into the horizon. A thunderous crack nearly split his skull open, forcing the old man to fall off of the pilot's seat and begin writhing on the floor.
"You wish, you old perv. They can grab onto the jet's railing and you can then Kamehameha us up and pull them out that way." Chi-Chi blew at her twitching fist like it was a smoking gun.
"True, true…" Muten Roshi chuckled, navigating the jet lower so that the two drowning lugs could grab hold of the jet's railings while Muten Roshi slipped out from his shirt and waved his arms slowly out in front of him. After methodically preparing the original Kamehameha, the old martial arts master launched a bright, white energy wave that rattled the jet in mid-air but found enough density in the bog's mass to push off from and shoot out into the sky where Chi-Chi grabbed hold of the steering wheel and took control over the jet over from mother gravity.
"I seem to have secured the Dragon Ball in my struggle to avoid having my lungs filled with filthy water…" Nam raised his arm up, clutching a Dragon Ball that dripped with umber filth.
"Well done!" Artificial Human No. 8 cracked up before both men transitioned into full-out laughter, having nearly wrestled away from a potentially hazardous situation. "I suppose I need to take my tremendous mass into consideration. I wouldn't have died down under but I'd have surely degraded over the nearest millennia or two…"
"We'd have also had tough luck finding you since I can't sense your Ki at all…" Chi-Chi crossed her arms over her chest, scolding the oaf in a manner that brought up memories of scolding her husband when he failed at farm work and house chores.
"Ah, yes, that is because I am an Artificial Human and while I possess a Ki-centered engine core, I do not produce natural Ki, which makes me invisible to Ki sensory. Dr. Puri explained it to me when she replaced my old energy core that was actually a massive health hazard to everyone and replaced it with a Ki generator power source she's been working on." Artificial Human No. 8 sat up while he explained.
"What a truly curious creature you are…" Nam stroked his chin that had a greying beard covering it. "The children would truly marvel playing with someone like you, there's nothing like Artificial Humans in our village or the surrounding desert."
"There's nobody like me but me, I guess…" Artificial Human No. 8 laughed out, looking chipper after avoiding being lost in a country-wide swamp.
"Hmm... Is that radar correct?" Chi-Chi pointed at the large screen descending from over the control panel. Muten Roshi, who had just buttoned up his shirt and returned to normal size, settled down in the driver's seat while pulling himself up to the screen to take a gander.
"Yes, it's a bona fide Dragon Radar, nowhere near as precise as the handheld models Goku used in his youth, but it's one made from spare parts by Bulma many years ago when she vacationed at the Kame Island." Muten Roshi explained.
"Look right there…" Chi-Chi pointed at a cluster of signals. "Doesn't that mean…?"
"You're right!" Muten Roshi dropped his jaw. "Three whole Dragon Balls one by the other! Not to mention, to the South of my very own Kame Island, straight in the middle of the Red Sea."
"What a brilliant stroke of luck!" Nam cheered on.
"It's no luck…" Muten Roshi became sullen and serious suddenly. "Dragon Balls never scatter in the same location, two landing one by the other would be an impossible miracle–three would be absolutely impossible."
"Then that means…" Artificial Human No. 8 dropped his jaw and smacked both of his oversized cheeks in surprise.
"That's right, someone's collecting them too." Chi-Chi nodded.
"We've received word from Mr. Popo before leaving that Yajirobe is also collecting the Dragon Balls and that he would head toward our location to pool our efforts. But Yajirobe couldn't have possibly already collected three. Not to mention, if he could cover this much of the planet so fast using a mere flying car, he'd have joined up with us already instead of darting all over the world like this. It's safe to say that this must be a third party, one we are bound to meet before our quest is complete." Muten Roshi spoke while staring down at the control panel, looking all severe about his predictions.
"For how long have those three Dragon Balls been together? Were they assembled just recently or have they been like that since the beginning?" Nam wondered, asking of Muten Roshi.
"I do not know. When we took off, I headed straight for Mt. Paozu, then toward the first nearest Dragon Ball signal. The radar must have zoomed out by accident. This is the first time I'm scanning the entire planet because scanning for small orbs like these on such a scale is awfully impractical." Muten Roshi shook his head.
"We've got two friends of Goku-sa's and his martial arts master, as well as his wife onboard. The two of you were once his rivals in strength, Muten Roshi trained him and taught him most of the fundamentals he knows while I decided to walk alongside him throughout the rest of his life and become as strong as I need to be to protect my family and not to embarrass my husband. I don't know who these people collecting the Dragon Balls might be, if they're crooks or demons, it doesn't matter though. Because we'll pummel them if we have to and get those Dragon Balls." Chi-Chi put her fist up and then pulled the collar of her jacket onward while her eyes blazed with determination.
"That is true, we have run out of enemies to fight on Earth so only literal demons or aliens can bother us." Muten Roshi nodded, crumbling away only part of his severity.
"So then, do we go on to tackle them head-on?" Artificial Human No. 8 wondered as Muten Roshi took manual control over the jet and directed it to speed up onward.
"This Dragon Ball here, closer to the location of the Sacred Land of Korin, is nearing the other Dragon Ball. That is most likely Yajirobe picking up another Dragon Ball before joining us. That leaves only one unattended Dragon Ball. Let's claim it before confronting the other party." Muten Roshi pointed at the various points of interest on the radar.
"Hmm… Such a curious thing. I am most worried that these people weren't good and kind people, collecting the Dragon Balls for a benevolent cause, just like us." Nam settled down in his seat while placing his palms together for some meditative mantra whispering.
"Well, it might just be that the Dragon Ball is inside that building." Muten Roshi pointed to a U-shaped facility in its own square inside Parsley City.
"I don't think I will ever be used to large towns like this one…" Nam looked around, scanning the futuristic landscape of tall, white buildings with different colored roofs, shaped in many sophisticated and seemingly illogical shapes. A slithering monorail system decorated the town on various levels of altitude which the jet had to maneuver around in order to land in the square before the building.
"I think it's more than safe to say that someone had found the Dragon Ball," Chi-Chi sighed. "We'd have been better off to find it just flung somewhere in the middle of a river or under a boulder somewhere…"
"That is true, city-folk scare me…" Nam admitted. "Though this might be an excellent chance to stack up on the water supply. Show the young'uns in my village that their master can still provide!"
"Master?" Artificial Human No. 8 wondered while grabbing tight on to his seat and buckling up as much as possible as the gentle giant hunkered down for landing.
"That's right, haven't I told you? I am teaching a whole new generation martial arts. It helps keep my own skills polished while my apprentices accompany me to get water in the city. It is a sort of rite of passage for young warriors, you could say." Nam nodded with a smile as the jet landed without a hitch.
"Isn't water still as free as it was when you first came looking for it?" Muten Roshi scratched his head after tilting his hat off his head to do so.
"The maturity of a warrior is not in the reward of water, but the daunting challenge of traveling to the big city and navigating it, as it was in my case, I suppose." Nam pointed out.
"A museum?" Muten Roshi looked around before an attendant approached the curious-looking group. "Interesting, I wonder if…"
"There, I have found the Dragon Ball!" Artificial Human No. 8 pointed at an exhibit of the shiny, orange orb placed on suede inside of a glass container, displayed for all passers-by to see.
"This is bad…" Chi-Chi's face dragged down and shriveled as if she bit into a sour fruit. "How are we supposed to get a museum exhibit?"
"This must be your first time in a museum, ma'am?" an attendant approached the curious-looking group from behind, pointing at the glass container. "We sell our exhibits for display in private collections for a limited time."
She looked at Muten Roshi with a particularly hopeful pair of eyes. The rest of the group seemed curious why initially, but Chi-Chi snapped her fingers first. She wrapped her arms around Muten Roshi's elbow and pressed to his side. The attendant must have taken the formally dressed martial arts master for some fossil with too much money on his hands. With Chi-Chi gently taking his arm, the old martial arts master blushed, as if having taken a few sips of the stronger booze at the table.
"Of course, we'd like to buy this exhibit for display in our private collection, wouldn't we, sir?" Chi-Chi turned to Muten Roshi, acting as his escort for the evening. "After all, you said you were as rich as the head of the Capsule Corp itself, didn't you? You can afford something like this, right?"
"W-Well…" Muten Roshi cleared his throat before realizing why Chi-Chi specifically namedropped the Capsule Corp. "I would need to make a few phone calls, I suppose, but I'd like to arrange this matter. I am definitely leaving with this, this… Promethium Orb?"
"Yes, it's a theoretical term for now. We aren't yet sure what it is, but our residential scientist believes that this is an orb made of pure promethium. We haven't been able to verify this theory because the orb doesn't respond to any scanning attempts to determine its composition and nothing we have access to can drill into it. No lasers can penetrate it either and only promethium can be harder than diamond drills." The attendant pointed out.
"While it is clear that the museum has no idea what this actually is, they aren't technically wrong, promethium is tougher than diamond." Artificial Human No. 8 scratched his head. "That's just about all that they got right, though…"
"The big city folk have trouble believing in mysticism. They'd rather shroud themselves in lies and theories than accept the simple explanation." Nam positioned his hands for prayer and closed his eyes, shutting himself off from the baffled attendant.
"Yes… Let me just make a few calls, missy," Muten Roshi ran off to the jet to call Bulma while Chi-Chi, Artificial Human No. 8, and Nam stayed behind.
"S-Say… Your client and his friends seem quite educated about this artifact. Do you think you have any idea what this might be?" the attendant turned to Nam but after a few seconds of facing a meditating, static stone wall, the baffled attendant turned to Artificial Human No. 8.
"It is clear as day that this is an object of mystical origins. Its composition cannot be determined because it had been materialized through magical means," Artificial Human No. 8 tried explaining it to the woman while she began chuckling awkwardly.
"You don't have to joke around like that, we're just interested in furthering the field of science here at the Parsley City Museum." The museum worker shook her head at the explanation she found utterly ridiculous. "Who are you folks, anyway? Seem like just the type of people that an extravagant baron of immense wealth would flaunt to the public to show off what he'd seen around the world…"
"Oh, I'm just a housewife…" Chi-Chi shook her palms as an excuse. She must have sounded truthful because she wasn't technically lying.
"…" Nam stood like a stone statue.
"I am an artificial construct inside of a dead body given life–an artificial human." Artificial Human No. 8 pointed to himself.
"Ah, a genuine android!" the museum attendant jumped up and began examining Artificial Human No. 8 like he was made of pure gold. "This is simply incredible, the patchwork of the fleshy bits is lousy but I cannot imagine the marvel inside the carcass!"
"She accepts artificial people with no further questions asked but can't accept simple magic materialization…" Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, wondering what was taking Muten Roshi so long.
"Absolutely not!" Bulma yelled back so loud that Muten Roshi jumped up and fell out from the jet seat, having to climb back in with his shattered pride.
"B-But… Bulma-san… This… This wouldn't affect your riches at all, you've been the dominant company in the world for decades now. Surely, you'd make all that money back in a year or so. This Dragon Ball is necessary to bring everyone back." Muten Roshi pointed out.
"You don't seem to understand, do you? If I spend corporate money on something I can't validate, an art piece that poofs away and scatters once the wish is made and one I can't show to the board–that's embezzlement!" Bulma shouted back, grinding her teeth. "Sure, maybe I could throw my own, personal money around, but museums like that charge way too much! I refuse to give in to their bullying ways! It's not like this is just spare change for me, you know!"
"I'm not sure I quite understand but… We have to get that Dragon Ball. Wouldn't you pay this much to bring our friends back?" Muten Roshi clapped his hands in polite request.
"It hurts. I'd really like to, but I don't have this much personal money to just give up. We're in a middle of a corporate rivalry with that shrewd harpy Dr. Puri. If the board finds out that we're throwing corporate money around on private exhibitions that we've no records for, because the Dragon Ball just scatters away afterward, we're through!" Bulma slammed the worktable, scattering various projects for future inventions and work tools.
"Not even Yamcha?" Muten Roshi pinched his fingers as if he was sweetening his deal.
"Especially Yamcha!" Bulma roared, shutting down the connection.
"This is hopeless…" Muten Roshi sighed and shriveled up before the phone. "Now how will we get the Dragon Ball?"
A bright pair of Ki balls hurried across the city, homing in on the jet. It was only because Muten Roshi sensed the Ki of the assailants that he jumped out in time as the Ki balls hit the jet and blew it to bits. As Muten Roshi waved his hands to redirect the rampant smoke and people around screamed and scattered away from the scene of devastation, a handful of colorful troopers hung over Muten Roshi. Brutes of demonic appearance and varied skin colors.
"Two whole Dragon Balls at once, what a bargain!" the one that launched the twin energy ball Ki attack, a muscular warrior of turquoise skin and long, spiky white hair and pointy ears smirked with two rows of sharp fangs shimmering from within his pristine mouth. The athletic, demon pretty-boy wore a cardinal battle armor over a black, revealing bodysuit and pink shoulder guards. To top off his stylish appearance, a yellow cape fluttered behind him in the hectic, turbulent gale that he himself had caused with his blazing attack.
"Lord Garlick Jr. will be out of the Dead Zone in no time…" the leader of the demonic bunch of goons shined with malicious glee as he commanded his fellow warriors to take care of the rest for him with a hand gesture.